When Gertrude Stein told Robert Graves that “Mallorca is paradise, if you can stand it”, she was already speaking of that wonder – at times overwhelming and awe-inspiring – that is our island. Mallorca possesses that unsettling beauty in its excess that has made it so attractive to talent and creativity. A place of inspiration that has attracted not only Stein and Graves, but also figures of the stature of Joan Miró, Antoni Gaudí, Frédéric Chopin and Camilo José Cela; Borges and Rubén Darío also visited the island, and Archduke Luis Salvador fell in love with it. Our constellation (ever Miró-esque) is full of stars.”
“As Director of Casal Solleric, I have always wanted to create a programme that is rooted in our local context yet reaches out to national and international audiences. As an institution, we have a duty to support, amplify and showcase our talent. Over the last three years, our galleries have hosted artists with links to the islands, such as Bernardí Roig, Marcelo Viquez, Ela Fidalgo, Robert Ferrer and Tomeu Ventayol, who have shared the programme with highly acclaimed creators such as Joan Miró, Peter Halley, Tony Oursler, Julian Opie, Jesús Soto, Gordillo, Concha Jerez and Angela de la Cruz, as well as research projects exploring contemporary creation such as ‘Ultrafotografía’, ‘Prender la mirada’ and ‘Jove Plàstica a Mallorca’. All of this has always been accompanied by intensive outreach and production programmes.”
“The Art Cologne Palma fair coincides with a programme featuring women artists: the National Prize-winning Eva Lootz on the First Floor, and on the Ground Floor and Mezzanine, one of the leading international figures in contemporary photography: Donna Ferrato; in the Patio, the exquisite site-specific installation by Andrea Canepa; and in our most experimental space, the Aljibe, Clara Carvajal joins forces with the multidisciplinary project by Casa Planas.”
“2026 is full of exciting events: the National Prize and the Joan Fontcuberta Hasselblad Prize will share the programme with Nuria Mora and Eugenio Merino. There will also be research projects exploring printmaking from a contemporary perspective, looking at female comic book creators from the 1950s to the present day, and one of our most significant projects: “A media lumbre”, a co-production with the IVAM in Valencia, Es Baluard, CDAN Huesca and Museu Terra.”
Opposite page: installation view in the courtyard of Casal Solleric: Andrea Canepa Capfico, 2016, including a video-recorded performance and sound composition. This page: installation view Eva Lootz Lo Tengo en la Punta de la Lengua / It’s on the tip of my tongue. Portraits of Jaime Martínez Llabrés and Fernando Gómez de la Cuesta by Tomek Sierek.