Welcome to Wet Paint in the Wild, an extension of Annie Armstrong’s gossip column in which she gives art world insiders a disposable camera so they can give us a glimpse of their corner of the world. crazy industry.
Oh, how I envy artistic adviser Nazi Nazhand. She crosses the worlds of art and music with such ease, taking an annual trip to Ibiza that gave me the idea to live vicariously through her. Without further ado, here’s what she did off the coast of Spain…
I have been coming to the beautiful island of Ibiza for almost 15 years and every time I am here I am reminded of the magic of the island. There’s an essence here that’s hard to describe, and despite the shiny new additions every year, there’s a real ruggedness and roughness that’s still present. My visit to the island always perfectly reflects my two worlds and my loves: art and music.
Speaking of my love of art and music, Carl Craig needs no introduction. A Detroit techno legend, Carl’s pioneering sound installation at Dia Beacon perfectly captured the historical roots of minimalist sound and the techno tradition of reclaiming industrial spaces for radical experimentation. Working on these projects with Carl has been a wild ride.
Here we are with dear friends Nathalie and Maarten. One of the best parts of being here is catching up with friends who have been on the island all summer. In the middle is my husband, Kurosh Nasseri, a lawyer in the electronic music industry. Ibiza to him is basically all the art fairs and biennials combined, plus his oasis.
Daily breakfast of champions at Six Senses – a stunning property I must say.
This is the Beach Caves of Six Senses, which overlooks the bay of Xarraca. Put on water shoes and you can bathe in the most beautiful trickle of water.
After a few days of nice dinners and sunshine, it’s time to get down to business and hit the clubs to see our favorite DJs. Here we are backstage at Eden nightclub, as the one and only Paul Van Dyk prepares to hypnotize the room with his melodic trance sounds. Next to Paul is Supernova promoter Mark. Hi Mark!
Next, head to Hï nightclub to see Tale of Us, made up of Italian duo Carmine Conte and Matteo Milleri. You haven’t lived until you’ve experienced their euphoric, hypnotic sounds on the dance floor as a hologram of an upside-down man – the “Afterlife” logo – hangs above your head. We’re back to sunrise, which honestly sounds a lot more rock and roll than it actually is.
Lest you think it’s all late nights and nightclubs, the next day, I’m ready for art. Carl and I visit Fundación La Nave Salinas, an 8,000 square foot former salt factory built in 1941 and transformed into a beautiful exhibition space in 2015 by patron Lio Malca. We are joined by gallery director Alejandra Navarro, who gives us a tour of their current exhibition by Budapest-born, Vienna-based artist Eva Beresin.
After a bit of sunshine, I’m ready for the highlight of the week: Calvin Harris in Ushuaïa. Every Friday night, thousands (yes, thousands) gather for Calvin’s electrifying performance and beautiful visuals. I couldn’t stop dancing to take more photos of the scene.
Manager extraordinaire and art collector, Mark Gillespie is the founder and CEO of Three Six Zero, which represents Calvin Harris, among other brilliant talents.
Rules are meant to be broken, but in this case, dear readers, I will obey. Therefore, no behind-the-scenes photos for you. But trust me…it was good.
It’s the weekend and I’m having sunset cocktails at my dashing friend David Leppan’s. David is an entrepreneur, philanthropist and art collector and the “legendary island host” in Ibiza. (He’ll be so mad at me for calling him that!)
It is a pleasure to spend time with David at his spectacular Villa Roca Llisa, ‘Casa Polanski’, once owned by Roman Polanski.
My husband in his element, surrounded by David’s eclectic art collection. Notice the disco ball in the background, perfection.
On the way to the village of Santa Gertrudis to visit my friend Guillermo Romero Parra in his gallery Parra & Romero, the second location in Ibiza, which recently opened. Over the past 10 years, Parra & Romero’s warehouse space in rural Ibiza has hosted site-specific projects that showcase its rigorous design and minimal program. At the gallery, I met the charming Maura Marvâo of Phillips.
In case you were wondering where Guillermo got his good looks from, may I introduce you to his parents, Pilar Parra and Francisco Romero? The Wolfram Ullrich on the wall isn’t bad either.
I am obsessed with this work by Ian Wallace at the gallery, which perfectly captures the discourse and construction of monochrome painting and photography.
Lazy Sunday lunch in Can Pujol with John Acquaviva, master DJ, founder of the first techno and house label, music tech entrepreneur and bon vivant now living in Ibiza. Great company, great food. I still prefer the Fish Shack to Talamanca – sorry John!
This is Pong Leppan. After a whirlwind week in Ibiza, I’m off to the island of Formentera where I intend to be like Pong: cool, cool and laid back.
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