Tell someone you go to Ibiza for art, and they might not believe you. Pushing that skepticism aside is Contemporary Art Now, or CAN, a small boutique art fair that invites art lovers to dip a toe in the pristine waters of Talamanca’s beach clubs, maybe have lunch in the quiet northern port of Portinatx, and pull a sopracostume over someone’s bikini before buying some art. The exhibition selection is colorful, beautiful and attractive without being kitsch. The participating gallery aims to attract the attention of the Ibizan community, which, it turns out, wants to decorate their homes by the sea, without sacrificing attention to industry or art that engages profitably with the news of the day.
“When you’re off the pitch, you’re in holiday mode, everything’s good, you’re very relaxed,” loyalist Saša Bogojev told the Observer. “Then you go inside, and I like to think that these activities are a kind of mental exercise, because many of these activities deal with certain subjects, some of which are not very interesting.
It’s not just CAN. In a world where art exhibitions multiply every day and participation in the industry, whether one sells or buys, feels like a fighting game, some fair organizers try a different model: one that adapts to the lifestyle of the most desirable collectors, rather than asking them to book to keep up with the art fair calendar at times. Or to put it another way, if the collector won’t go to the art show, the artwork will go to the collector.
A growing list of local art galleries from St. Moritz to Gstaad, from Capri to the Berkshires, from Punta del Este to Joshua Tree. That growth can be linked to the post-pandemic development of the so-called “experience economy”—how and where you collect art, for some, is as important as the purchase itself. That’s coupled with the growth of luxury travel, a market now worth $1.59 trillion and expected to nearly double to $3 trillion by 2033. Notably, the art fair region is expanding and beyond the established resorts, from NOMAD and the 74th Arts traveling exhibitions, to VIMA, which was launched two years ago in Limassol and the tourism island, on the island of Cyprus.
Nazy Nazhand, a collector attending this year’s CAN Art Fair, is a regular in Ibiza: “I’ve been coming here for years,” he told the Observer. “It’s always attracted people who think differently: artists, musicians, architects, designers, collectors… I’ve never been very interested in what art considers a ‘proper’ place.”
This is the same thinking Becca Hoffman—who was the director of the Outsider Art Fair in New York and Paris, and the Andrew Edlin Gallery—created art exhibitions in different places such as Aspen, Marseille and Singapore with 74th Arts. “I’m drawn to places where there’s already a je ne sais quoi—a certain energy—that comes from the larger world of art, but with engagement, passion, and connection,” she said. The question I always ask is whether the event can happen anywhere. If the answer is yes, it’s not our type of event—each of our events is uniquely designed for a specific location.”
When asked if he meets the same collectors around the world, from Aspen to Marseille to Singapore, Hoffman said it’s mixed, with a core group of collectors and others at his one-day events. “But in each place there is a deliberate effort to bring people who don’t go to a big art exhibition, because they want something different.” He added that he looks at the gap between what a place is and what it could be, and his approach is always relational before it works. “I start by thinking about who is the connective tissue in a certain area. From there, flow, scale, scope and event follow.”
In terms of size, many local art galleries occupy almost the same roof. IS Ibiza can do it in 30 galleries, by design. “A small format exhibition allows you to focus on something,” explains Bogojev.
Hoffman discussed the same restraint, but in terms of economics: “In retail spaces, I think about the terms of participation differently. The pay is low, but the bar for who gets invited is high, and that choice is part of the value proposition for everyone involved.”
Bogojev offers a caveat to be considered: CAN Ibiza is launched in 2022 “in the highest form of art market activity,” a moment that is already very cool. “We were lucky that we started small, so we can stay small at this time when the market is strong around the world.”
In Ibiza, gallerists register a strong level of satisfaction and report that they have interacted with collectors who may have visited the island and picked up a piece almost as a souvenir before flying home, as well as Spanish collectors – regulars at Arco Madrid – who came directly to do business. CAN also has a VIP program that flies in about 50 collectors a year, with studio tours and gallery tours built around fun days. “If we only open the door to the local people, it will not work,” Bogojev admitted.
Figures at VIMA, a contemporary art fair in Limassol, Cyprus, suggest that a drag of this type can be built from scratch. In its second edition, the number of visitors reached more than 5,000—more than 1,000 in the previous year—sales increased 1.8 times, and the highest amount paid for one job reached €90,000. “The most obvious motivation is self-confidence,” said Lara Kotreleva, one of the three founders of VIMA. “In the beginning, we presented not only a new exhibition, but also the idea that Cyprus could be a logical place for the exchange of contemporary art. Now the discussion is hitting the test.”
Bogojev’s language depends on acquisition rather than discovery. “The collectors who are most interested in this way are not the youngest,” he said, “but the ones who have already been to Basel a dozen times and want something that doesn’t feel like a trade show. They want to be moved, not just informed.” He also pointed to the second group, “young people, about thirty-two years old, early forties, usually with uninherited wealth, who are attracted to closeness and good care because they achieve great success.”
The question of whether any of the buzz around local art fairs contributes to the development of local art scenes is answered differently by each of these events. A common practice involves holding a “closed event” with galleries on the floor. DOES Ibiza have a public recording system intended to leave something behind when the docks are down; this year, it was a permanent piece by the world-famous Stefan Brüggemann, who also had an exhibition at the local museum.
But the founders of VIMA Cyprus are quick to resist the label of a suitable place. “I would hesitate to use this word,” Edgar Gadzhiev, another co-founder of VIMA, told the Observer. “Our mission is very structured: to help create a market, an ecosystem, and a reason for galleries, collectors, institutions, and cultural actors to come together in Limassol.”
Kotreleva added that the absence of a heavy tourism brand on the island gives them more room to express cultural narratives. “There is less noise, less coded glamour, and less fixed expectations about what an arts event in Cyprus should be.” But the same blank canvas needs more work. “We can’t rely on the fancy myth that exists to bring people. We need to build confidence.”
As for whether VIMA competes with large exhibitions or rejects the comparison altogether, the founder Nadezhda Zinovskaya said that they are not trying to be a small version of a large exhibition: “We are trying to be precise about what Cyprus can offer: a regional bridge, a concentrated meeting place, and a platform where exhibitions can reach collectors of the Western calendar and communities that are not always comfortable.
Meanwhile, Bogojev is careful in his answer when asked if local art exhibitions can impact the larger art program in a significant way. “I don’t think the traditional model or the arts system will be challenged anytime soon,” he said. “But I think these types of shows have the potential to be considered a valid option.”
But collector Nazy Nazhand sees local art exhibitions as not just a small alternative but something better. “I’m more interested in looking forward than following the established regions of modern art,” he concludes, heading for a dinner overlooking the sea, followed, perhaps, by an all-night party. “I think the future of the art world is less hierarchical and requires knowledge, communication and a willingness to challenge convention.”
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