5 Far-Flung Galleries to Add to Your Vacation Itinerary
Exterior view of Galerie Bacqueville, Oost-Souburg, The Netherlands, 2023. Courtesy of Galerie Bacqueville.
Summer solstice brings new social rituals of outdoor activity. Galleries are often synonymous with busy art hubs, not destination locations in the way that museums are. Of late, there has been an increase in destination galleries—like Hauser & Wirth in Menorca, Spain—which reveals that galleries should increasingly become a part of your vacation planning.
Many galleries in far-flung locations are precisely the go-to spots that visitors should experience because of their relationship to the local environment—that includes its history, geographic region, and cuisine. Galleries, more so than museums, have flexible programming that can interact with environments beyond the institutional walls.
To kick off summer, Artsy has selected five galleries to add to your vacation itinerary.
Ivester Contemporary
Austin, Texas
Exterior environment of Ivester Contemporary, 2023. Courtesy of Ivester Contemporary.
Austin gallery Ivester Contemporary is known for its spirited curation of work by emerging painters working across geometric abstraction and portraiture. The vivid artworks, as seen in work by Jasmine Zelaya and Christopher Cascio, incorporate the rich color palettes and culture of Austin’s southwest desert landscape. Located in the Texas Hill Country, the gallery’s beautiful scenery presents an opportunity for an abundance of outdoor activities across the numerous parks and lakes, such as hiking and fishing.
Primarily foregrounding regional artists and ideas, Ivester Contemporary facilitates a dialogue with the larger cultural landscape of Austin through its public programming and exhibitions. The gallery is located in the Canopy Creative Complex, which functions as the premier center for cultural producers in Austin. Its current exhibition, “The Four Pillars,” is a solo show of intimate black-and-white photographs by Eli Durst, culled from his photobook of the same name.
Anima Mundi
St. Ives, Cornwall, U.K.
Exterior environment of Anima Mundi. Photo by Alban Roinard. Courtesy of Anima Mundi.
Located in St. Ives, Anima Mundi is committed to amplifying the landscape, traditions, and culture of Cornwall. Often, the gallery incorporates local pagan rituals and ancient folklore into its programming. In a 2021 performance, artist Tim Shaw held a ceremony that led a processional march into the woods to burn a wooden figure. Additionally, the gallery curates shows following the rhythm of the seasons, known as the “wheel of the year.” These exhibitions color and shape the selection of works presented, and naturally tie into the landscape of the gallery and its ritual lore.
The gallery’s space is based in a former Christian science reading room, which not only affords it space to complete its programming, but also provides incredible mythology, history, and unique architecture for it to experiment with across its exhibitions. The current exhibition there, “The Memory of What Comes Next,” is a solo showing of muted-tone abstract paintings by Sam Lock.
Carmo Johnson Projects
São Paulo, Brazil
Installation view of “PROJECT #6 Regina Dabdab: Tinha uma pedra [There was a stone],” 2022, at Carmo Johnson Projects. Courtesy of Carmo Johnson Projects.
São Paulo–based gallery Carmo Johnson Projects curates lively exhibitions that interact with the cultural and geographic landscape of Brazil. With a focus on sociocultural work, the gallery’s exhibitions amplify emerging and ambitious art practices that challenge conventional art market trends. São Paulo’s vibrant nightlife and diverse population make for a cultural hotspot of artistic exchange and interaction.
Take, for instance, its current solo exhibition of figurative paintings by Bruno Novelli, who works with images of fantastical landscapes and creatures that draw out Brazil’s indigenous population’s spiritual ayahuasca rituals. Novelli’s use of green pops set against his largely warm tone color palette. Exhibitions like this at Carmo Johnson Projects foreground nature that resonates with the city’s botanical environment.
Tuesday to Friday
Valencia, Spain
Installation view of “Lola Zoido: The Garden I Will Never Get to Have,” 2022, at Tuesday to Friday. Courtesy of Tuesday to Friday.
The Valencia-based gallery Tuesday to Friday is making waves for its enigmatic program of work by emerging artists working across painting, sculpture, and textiles. This can be seen in its most recent exhibition, “Chicks on Speed,” which featured vibrant works by Anna Ehrenstein, Bel Fullana, Claudia Maté, and Qualeasha Wood, inspired by pop culture, social media, and internet relationships.
Tuesday to Friday’s selection of artists compliment Valencia’s exceptional cuisine (it is the birthplace of paella, after all), incredible Mediterranean beaches, and groundbreaking architecture that is a mixture of both classical historic structures and futuristic modernist buildings.
Galerie Bacqueville
Lille, France; Oost-Souburg, The Netherlands
Exterior view of Galerie Bacqueville, Lille, France, 2023. Courtesy of Galerie Bacqueville.
Exterior view of Galerie Bacqueville, Oost-Souburg, Netherlands, 2023. Courtesy of Galerie Bacqueville.
Galerie Bacqueville has scenic locations in both Lille, France, and Oost-Souburg, The Netherlands. The gallery’s idyllic locations are matched by its ambitious exhibitions that spotlight both established and emerging artists working across conceptual approaches to artmaking, primarily in photography and sculpture.
Recent exhibitions include “Intrication,” a solo exhibition of new paintings by surrealistic landscape artist Theresa Möller. Divided across the Flemish architecture of Lille and the countryscape of Oost-Souburg, Galerie Bacqueville uses its environments and architecture to play with and intensify the exhibitions of its conceptual and abstract artists. Their Oost-Souburg location in particular features dynamic modernist architecture that resembles sleek shipping crates tucked away in the green landscape. The space alone is worth the visit.
