Uncharted territory – Territori Ibiza Performance Art Festival

Ibiza has served as muse for countless art forms across as many centuries — there is something about the island’s unique character that fits into creative souls like a jigsaw piece, inspiring ceaseless ingenuity and artistic transformation. From September 15 through to the 24, 2023, the island becomes the backdrop and inspiration for Territori Ibiza International Performance Art Festival where a series of performances, workshops, talks and exhibitions are hosted by local and international artists posing the question: does performance exist without an audience? 

Founded in 2020 by Isa Sanz, who was curating for the International Festival of Theatre and Street Arts in Valladolid when the idea first came to her, Territori Ibiza is a cultural event committed to live and action-based artistic expression. Taking place at various locations across the island over 10 days — from urban spaces to rural outcrops and bustling art galleries — it offers an inclusive environment for a diverse array of emerging and established artists to confront and explore pertinent cultural themes through creative communication, with audience participation acting as an important pillar of the experience. 

Over 25 artists and speakers have been invited to participate across the multi-platform Territori Ibiza programme, with Raíz y Vanguardia (Roots and Vanguard) serving as the central theme. Each performance has distinct merits and artists to look out for include pioneers of the scene such as Nieves Correa from Spain, who has performed at festivals all over the world since the 80s, and Roi Varra from Finland, who is renowned for his visual and physical performances that bind site and situation to poetry. Abel Azcona is another figure of note, whose powerful, autobiographical work leaves a deep, lasting impression. He will also be hosting an exclusive masterclass. Local creator, Joanna Hruby – whose work with local folklore is well-known across Ibiza and beyond – joins the stable of brilliant artists. 

Every year, Territori Ibiza’s organisers extend an open call to artists born or residing in the Balearic Islands to engage with a particular motif or idea. For 2023, the Mediterranean Sea served as the central concept for the selected artists (three from Ibiza; and one from Formentera, and Mallorca Menorca respectively), resulting in a kaleidoscopic spectrum of responses that have each reacted to the stimulus differently. Scholarships and grants are also offered to local creatives and those from further afield who demonstrate a propensity for performance art, with the subsequent pieces converging in a public exhibition.

In previous years, the festival burrowed into ideas surrounding Ibiza’s natural landscape and heritage sites, plunging the audience into local history and myth. And while the themes of this year’s Territori Ibiza vary, the resistance between the island’s reputation as an avant-garde destination and ingrained local identity rests at the fore. Throughout this questioning, Ibiza itself is a constant presence, on occasion even taking centre stage as a complex character that artists interact with and respond to over the seconds, minutes and hours of their performance. 

Just like Ibiza, performance art is ephemeral by nature and invites the audience to set aside thoughts of the past and future in favour of the present moment. Each staging comes alive at a specific time and place — with the potential for infinite outcomes — which means every member of the Territori Ibiza crowd holds the power to influence what unfurls. Such a poignant connection between artist and viewer roots every element to the here and now, creating an unrepeatable explosion of thoughts and actions that might be examined later through photos and videos, but will never again exude the same intensity.

More than just a festival, Territori Ibiza is a commitment to nurturing the local artistic community by celebrating the island’s landscapes and residents and encouraging insightful dialogues on pressing topics. This dynamic event not only enriches Ibiza’s art scene but also offers a fresh perspective, casting the island in an illuminating and transformative light. 

Ibiza: A catalyst for creativity

The persistent pop-culture image of the genius yet fragile artist working in total isolation at a fever pitch is a misnomer. Of course, creativity often requires moments of quiet reflection, deep concentration and hours of work but there is a lot to be said for collaboration as a catalyst for creativity. Without this connection to others, the artist’s work becomes disconnected and illegible. There is no me without us. The establishment of new Ibiza-based artist residency Ses Dotze Naus challenges the image of the lonely artist by bringing 12 creators from across the world to build a collaborative, site-specific exhibition.

Founded by Ángeles Ferragut and her husband Simon Southwood, along with a team of advisors, Ses Dotze Naus has the potential to transform Ibiza into a destination for art lovers from around the world. The first iteration of the residency to be organised under the umbrella of the Ses Dotze Naus Foundation sees hand-picked collective of artists housed in a refurbished building in Figueretes, working on a collaborative exhibition for a new art space in the industrial zone of Can Bufi that has been renovated specifically for the programme. The final exhibition of the spring residency, featuring the collaboration between all eight artists, is presented on Wednesday April 13, 2022.

Ibiza plays a major role in all the Ses Dotze Naus programmes, not only as a base from which to explore individual creative processes but also as a muse. Each creator is asked to absorb the island into their psyche and work. The residencies occur under the guiding hand of a single curator, who the foundation unearths through its extensive global networks. This current residency is focused on creatives under 35 years old and is helmed by Italian-born, London-based curator and artist, Linda Rocco. “We wanted this residency to have a collaborative aspect to find the commonalities between each artist,” explains Ángeles. “Linda proposed this manifesto of presence, asking questions about why culture is important for society, what is the position of artists in our culture and what is this present moment? The concept was immensely interesting to us, especially when put to younger artists.”

With Linda’s input, Ángeles and her team invited a collective of hand-picked artists from all over the world to participate in the Ibiza based initiative. “We purposefully chose artists from very different backgrounds, disciplines and areas of expertise,” she says. “Among them we have a writer, a choreographer, a collective that works with technology in a metaverse, one who works with sound and music, visual artists, a ceramicist and one who works with textiles. It’s such a diverse group.”

Along with building creative networks between artists and curators, Ses Dotze Naus Foundation seeks to engage the local population through a series of free workshops facilitated by the artists themselves. Occurring on weekends throughout the eight-week residencies, the workshops are based in the exhibition space in the Can Bufi industrial zone. These gatherings are a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with a working artist while also learning new skills and connecting with like-minded people. This part of the programme has been highly successful with each recent workshop reaching capacity.

Designed to create a strong international profile within the art world, Ses Dotze Naus Foundation is committed to multiple artists’ residencies in the future, in addition to art programmes in public spaces and the development of Ibiza as a place for the creation, production and enjoyment of contemporary art. The next residency takes place in October 2022 at the family finca, where Ángeles has refurbished the stables into a fully functioning studio. Here, the creators will be encouraged to participate in a pioneering long-term research project exploring the material, symbolic and emotional dimensions that shape our relationship with nature, rural environments and agricultural ecosystems. Being witness to creatives experiencing her homeland has been a revelation for Ángeles. “I’m rediscovering Ibiza through their eyes,” she says.

As Ses Dotze Naus Foundation continues to grow, it invites public and private participation in building Ibiza’s creative profile. “There are so many cultured and sophisticated people here who want this experience and want to be involved,” says Ángeles. “There’s a thirst for culture.” Her long-term strategy includes finding pathways for artist grants and further involvement of the public and private spheres. “It’s important to us that this project is transversal,” she explains. “It’s not one artist coming and bringing pre-existing work here. It’s about providing a way for creators to respond and experience the island and let it inform their work. I really want to build something for Ibiza.”