CAN Contemporary Art Now Completes Fourth Edition in Ibiza, Blending Art, Design, and Island Culture

Ibiza’s Evolving Canvas: Where Art Meets Mediterranean Serenity

Long celebrated for its electrifying nightlife and crystalline waters, Ibiza has emerged as an unexpected hub for contemporary art, thanks to CAN Contemporary Art Now. From June 25th to 29th, 2025, the island hosted the fair’s fourth edition, merging cutting-edge creativity with the Mediterranean’s tranquil rhythm. Curated by Saša Bogojev and staged at the FECOEV fairgrounds near Ibiza’s historic old town, this year’s edition presented a meticulously selected roster of international and Balearic galleries, showcasing painting, sculpture, textiles, and immersive installations.

Organized by the team behind Madrid’s UVNT Art Fair, CAN has solidified its niche in the global art circuit. Unlike sprawling mega-fairs, CAN fosters intimacy and dialogue, encouraging visitors to engage deeply with the works. Yet its impact extends beyond the fairgrounds: site-specific interventions dot the island, from a revived fishing hut to a repurposed water irrigation system, reflecting Ibiza’s dynamic cultural evolution.

A Curated Canvas: Painting, Materiality, and Expanded Horizons

Painting remained the cornerstone of CAN 2025, with galleries presenting a diverse range of styles hyperrealism, fluid figuration, and bold abstraction. However, this year saw a deliberate expansion into textiles, ceramics, and sculptural installations, adding tactile richness and highlighting artists’ fascination with process, texture, and organic forms. Recurring themes of nature, human connection, and harmony wove through the displays, offering subtle commentary on contemporary life.

A standout addition was the debut of CAN Design, a dedicated section for collectible design. By bridging functional aesthetics and fine art, this segment deepened the fair’s ties to Ibiza’s creative community, featuring galleries from the island and beyond.

Beyond the Booths: Art in Unexpected Spaces

CAN’s OFF Program and CAN Local initiatives transformed Ibiza into an open-air museum. Now in its third year, the OFF Program activated historic sites:

• Sant Antoni’s lighthouse displayed works by Alba Suau and Adrià Mayordomo.
• The Santa Eulària des Riu air raid shelter hosted Joan Canyelles.
• Sa Punta des Molí, a restored mill, became a showcase for Andrián Martínez.

Meanwhile, CAN Local spotlighted Ibiza’s homegrown talent as part of Ibiza Art Week. Highlights included:

• A two-person exhibition featuring Spencer Lewis and Pedro Pedro at La Nave Salinas.
• MACE (Museu d’Art Contemporani d’Eivissa) presenting works by Miquel Barceló and Ramon Enrich.
• Estudi Tur Costa pairing Erwin Bechtold’s paintings with Franco Monti’s sculptures.

Site-specific projects further blurred the lines between art and environment:

• Edith Dekyndt’s multimedia installation at CAN Garita, a former fishing hut, meditated on ecological change.
• Lena M. Emrich’s sculptural intervention in SAFA, a disused irrigation system, reimagined industrial relics as art.

A Vision for the Future: Culture, Commerce, and Connection

As Sergio Sancho, CAN’s Founding Director, emphasized, the fair seeks to blend “the avant-garde with culture, business, and enjoyment.” This philosophy, paired with Bogojev’s discerning curation, cultivates a relaxed yet intellectually vibrant atmosphere—one where meaningful exchanges between artists, collectors, and visitors thrive.

With each edition, CAN Ibiza reaffirms its role as a unique convergence of global art and local spirit, proving that the island’s creative pulse beats as strongly as its legendary nightlife.

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

CAN Ibiza 2025 masterfully intertwines contemporary art with the island’s natural and cultural landscapes, offering a refreshing antidote to conventional art fairs. While its tightly curated approach fosters depth, some may argue that the fair’s selectivity limits broader artistic representation potentially overlooking emerging voices outside its chosen aesthetic. Nevertheless, CAN’s commitment to site-specificity and local integration sets a compelling precedent, proving that art fairs can be both immersive and transformative. By anchoring avant-garde works in Ibiza’s history and ecology, the event doesn’t just showcase artit redefines how we experience it.

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