London-based gallery GATHERING has reopened its Ibiza location for the 2025 season, continuing its innovative approach to blending contemporary art with hospitality and nightlife in a Mediterranean setting. The cultural venue, located in the village of Sant Miquel de Balansat, combines the main gallery space with MIRA, a courtyard restaurant that extends the gallery's artistic philosophy into culinary experiences, conversations, and musical programming.
The project represents a long-term commitment to cultural exchange on the Spanish island, drawing from both local social dynamics and the gallery's international network. As it enters its second full season, the venue has introduced new programming, art installations, and an expanded nighttime entertainment offering that reflects the countercultural history and Mediterranean rhythms that define Ibiza.
The main gallery space features a light-filled structure with mezzanine levels and high ceilings designed to encourage leisurely movement and casual art viewing. Currently hosting the "Sunset Strip" exhibition through September 1st, the show was created in collaboration with Berlin gallery SOCIÉTÉ and showcases works by 17 international artists including Petra Cortright, Tai Shani, Wynnie Mynerva, Bunny Rogers, and Marianna Simnett.
The exhibition explores themes deeply connected to island life, incorporating visual elements such as pool tiles, palm leaves, pastel colors, and sun-drenched surfaces. However, it goes beyond surface aesthetics to examine complex themes of tourism, solitude, and how places are constructed and perceived. Drawing inspiration from David Hockney's West Coast imagery and the broader aesthetics of leisure culture, "Sunset Strip" questions how Ibiza can serve as a flexible context for contemporary artistic practices rather than simply a fixed concept of escape.
Adjacent to the gallery, MIRA restaurant functions as an integral part of GATHERING's expanded vision, creating a social space where food, music, and art intersect without traditional hierarchies. Artist Tai Shani, who also participates in the "Sunset Strip" exhibition, collaborated on the restaurant's interior design, transforming it into a theatrical environment. The space features blown-glass lanterns shaped like abstracted breasts suspended above a pink-hued bar, while the outdoor area displays mirrored spray paintings by artist Stefan Brüggemann that reflect both the surrounding garden and visiting guests.
MIRA's weekly programming offers diverse cultural experiences throughout the summer season. Sundays feature "Aperitivo Analogico," vinyl-only DJ sets that celebrate analog music culture, while Mondays transform the space into a more contemplative listening bar format. The restaurant also hosts artist talks, pop-up dinners, and chef residencies that bring together creative contributors from Ibiza, mainland Spain, Latin America, and other international locations. Fashion pop-ups appear periodically throughout the season, treating the venue as a testing ground for new ideas through direct engagement and participation.
A significant addition for 2025 is a late-night concept that transforms MIRA after regular hours into an atmospheric lounge space inspired by 1970s aesthetics and design. This nighttime programming represents the venue's ambition to extend its operating hours and explore different temporal modes for cultural activity, accommodating various rhythms of social and artistic engagement.
GATHERING's Ibiza location continues to develop a unique model for cultural production that embraces hybrid approaches to art presentation and treats hospitality as essential infrastructure for contemporary art experiences. The venue's integration of gallery space, restaurant, and nightlife programming suggests new possibilities for how cultural institutions can operate in tourist destinations while maintaining artistic integrity and fostering meaningful cultural exchange.
