Installation view ‘Marés’. Photography by Ricardo Labougle

The Santa Clara Project and Apsara Studio are thrilled to share the launch of ‘Marés’, an annual site-responsive Open Studio moment, which for its inaugural year, brings to Sa Il·lustrada – a historic townhouse in the centre of Mahón, Menorca – a group of emerging artists from Spain and beyond. 

Taking its name from a stone intrinsic to the Balearic Island (marés), the revolving showcase plays on the Spanish word for ‘Seas’ (mares). Set in a site that was originally a captain’s home, this first iteration reflects on the multi-layered existence of the island and its passing between hands. From the Romans to the British, Berbers and Byzantines, to French and Spanish – there’s been changes of language and cultures, each impacting, shifting, contributing and collectively transforming the island. ‘Marés’ equally calls on Menorca’s connection to the Mediterranean; casting the sea as a body of water that unites rather than divides, the open studio creates dialogues between local to global artistic talent, while its temporary duration takes its cues from the tides, how they emerge for a while, only to retreat, and repeat.  

Set across three floors and a courtyard, the open studio weaves a storyline between antiquity and modernity. In the vaulted basement, a selection of works nod to the prehistoric origins of the island, in particular the Tayalotic culture. Known for its Cyclopean construction, or the use of large unmortared marés stones, exhibited artists speak to notions of deep time, sediment, and ancestral architecture. 

On the ground floor, across the ornate reception rooms and stairwell, a conversation is struck with the space’s past use as one of living, but equally the site’s collection of ancient books dating back to the 1600s. Following storylines from its recent histories over the last 300 years, the exhibited works convey notions of dwelling, from actual to imagined spaces. Up the ascending staircase and on the first floor, we enter into considerations of the future, in particular the known unknown. In conversation with the highly ornate ceilings, the works extend beyond representation and verge on the abstraction of sentiment; the realm of possibilities and their articulation.

In the courtyard, ‘Marés’ invites people to be. The open air space is conceived as one of sharing, whether it be a coffee or a break from the sun or a conversation. Open every evening  with active programming throughout the open studio’s duration, it places community and conversation at the beating heart of this moment.

More info soon!

www.projectmares.com

The Santa Clara Project is a cultural and patronage platform founded by artist Mario Antón and Kenneth López Triquell, born in an apartment on Santa Clara Street in Madrid—the same residence where Mariano José de Larra once lived. From this space, the project takes both its name and its spirit: an approach to art rooted in intimacy, conversation, and the activation of spaces with memory, transforming homes into living cultural environments. From the beginning, the project has operated as a meeting point for artists, collectors, and figures from the worlds of art, culture, cinema, fashion, and interiors. With a presence across Madrid, Barcelona, London, and Menorca, it develops exhibitions, gatherings, and original formats that connect artists with collectors and audiences, fostering more direct, organic relationships and encouraging a natural cross-disciplinary dialogue. In parallel, The Santa Clara Project specializes in art advisory, interior design, and spatial curation, creating projects where art, architecture, and design are seamlessly integrated. This approach extends into heritage and restoration, understanding spaces as active parts of a cultural narrative. Its work has been featured in Architectural Digest, AD Spain, GQ, and ICON, and continues to evolve from Mahón with both a local and international outlook.

Apsara Studio is a global curatorial studio led by a sensitivity for art, space and context appreciation. With a curatorial grounding and international outlook, it is dedicated to creating long-term sensitive dialogue across geographies, mediums and disciplines. Each project is a unique journey, unveiling diverse stories, perspectives and powerful dialogues shaped by its collaborators.

Founded by Colombian-Swiss curator Jenn Ellis in 2021, an acclaimed international practitioner from London to Hong Kong, her focus is on the intersection of contemporary art, space and context, investigating themes of time, ecology, heritage and place through the lens of global artistic dialogue. Ellis has curated projects across the globe and facilitated knowledge exchange over the last decade with artists, institutions, galleries, residencies and foundations including Dawn Ng, Edgar Calel, Naminapu Maymuru-White, Tate, Michelangelo Foundation, Xenia, the Swiss Cultural Fund and Frieze. Ellis’ projects have been featured in The Art Newspaper, Something Curated, Vogue, the BBC and more.

Since joining the Studio in 2023, curator and researcher Gema Darbo has played a pivotal role as Associate Curator, bringing over a decade of experience across curatorial practice, exhibition-making, and academic research. In October 2024, Apsara Studio launched its physical studio space in a former fireplace shop near Battersea Park, serving as a laboratory for socially engaged, curator- and artist-led projects.