Founded nearly a decade ago by art collector Lio Malca, non-profit art foundation Fundación La Nave Salinas in Ibiza, Spain presents “Jardín Adentro (A Garden Within)”, a solo exhibition by Spanish artist Mai Blanco this summer. The foundation showcases diverse artistic expressions in a reimagined 1940s salt warehouse along Las Salinas beach, an ideal venue for Blanco’s first institutional exhibition and largest collection to date, opening on 28 June.
Founder and art collector Lio Malca described, “This year we would like to invite you to Mai’s garden to immerse in a symphony of light and color, where each painting illuminates from within.”
Born in Asturias, Spain, Blanco has always aspired to be an artist. Her work, primarily self-portraits, explores the search for meaning through nature’s beauty, celebrating life’s simplicity and authenticity. “The works are self-portraits that seek to reflect the search for meaning, often through a connection with the natural world, as an inexhaustible source of primal beauty that makes us connect with the transcendental in a radical way (that is, from the root),” Blanco explained.
Blanco often portrays nude figures in nature, capturing humanity’s essence in its purest form. She avoids elements that tie her characters to specific times or places, aiming for universality and timelessness. As Blanco puts it herself, “I like the bodies to be naked in nature, as an archetypal representation of the human being. For this reason, I don’t like adding elements that pigeonhole the characters into a particular place or culture… the more universal, the better.” Her work is subconsciously influenced by artists from Bonet and Botticelli to Picasso and Cecily Brown.
Her fluid linework evokes the sensuality of the female form and the strength of mythological warriors. Her soft yet vibrant color palette underscores the balance between strength and feminine grace.
Isaac Malca, Director of Fundación La Nave Salinas shares that “collaborating with Mai on Jardín Adentro has been an exceptional experience. From the project’s inception, our guiding principle has been one of boundless ambition, continually striving to transcend limitations in the pursuit of excellence. Mai’s unwavering dedication and her incisive approach to conceptualization have been instrumental in bringing this remarkable show to fruition.”
Fundación La Nave Salinas is a non-profit foundation in Ibiza, Spain, founded in 2015 by Lio Malca. Housed in a former salt warehouse in the salt pans of Ibiza, the foundation was created as a space that makes contemporary art accessible to the public. Malca’s connection to Ibiza spans more than 20 years, and this project is a way for the collector to give back to the island’s community.
With an exhibition space of over 7,500 square feet, the foundation is devoted to showcasing exciting curatorial projects and monumental installations of contemporary art on a yearly basis. The ambitious programming is paired with extensive educational initiatives, including guided tours and teaching workshops for local schools. These activities aim to bring contemporary art closer to people of all ages. Perhaps most important to the foundation’s mission is that admission to La Nave Salinas and all programs is free of charge.
La Nave Salinas has presented solo exhibitions by artists Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf, Marco Brambilla, Bill Viola, KAWS, Rafa Macarrón, Eva Beresin and Jonny Niesche.
Lio Malca is an art collector, private dealer, and hotelier with projects in New York (USA), Ibiza (Spain), and Tulum (Mexico).
Malca has been living in New York City and collecting art fervently since the early 1990s. His collection is centered around the acquisition of works that defy the established historical narratives of high art. He always seeks to blur the boundaries between the academic and institutional and the urban and popular.
Since his earliest days of collecting, Malca has firmly believed that it is the responsibility of any collector to make their works available to larger audiences. Over the last 30 years, he has organized a wide range of exhibitions, including pop-up shows, shows in a long-term exhibition space in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, and full-scale museum shows at La Nave, his art foundation in Ibiza. His activities extend to acquiring monumental artworks for his hotel Casa Malca in Tulum, and hosting artists at The Art Lodge, a fine art residency in Sian Ka’an Biosphere, a UNESCO world heritage site in Tulum.
More information: Fundación La Nave Salinas
Instagram: @fundacionlanavesalinas
