Ibiza is an island that has long lured creatives with its siren call. Some only stay for a little while; many visit time and time again to soak up the Balearics’ dazzling colours and golden light. Then, there are the courageous souls who make the island their home – who choose to plant roots in its ever-shifting landscape, embracing its cycles and the lessons it has to offer in pursuit of their dream.
But Ibiza is also an island of transformation: A teacher that presents challenges and opportunities in equal measures, encouraging us to pause, reflect, realign and – where necessary – pivot. Pushing those who pay attention so they can grow towards their full potential.
Someone who has forged their own path on Ibiza, and continues to evolve, is Sofia Gomez Fonzo. A long-time resident, the Chilean has made her mark on the island with her evocative photography, as well as her mystical Island Witch Crafts project, which blends nature, symbolism, and the magic of everyday ritual. A true multi-hyphenate – designer, photographer, and artisan – this year Sofia took a leap of faith to manifest her vision into a new physical form by opening her own art gallery.
Located just steps away from Santa Eulalia’s bustling seaside promenade – and right next to one the best ice cream spots in town, L’Alchimista – Olas Gallery Ibiza opened its doors in April to such heartfelt welcome, it caused a legitimate roadblock.
Named after the Spanish word for “waves,” the contemporary exhibition space doesn’t just house beautiful objects – it is a celebration of the inspiring energy that pulsates through the island, and fosters community. The concept gallery is dedicated to showcasing art created on Ibiza through regular exhibitions, as well as a lovingly curated boutique.
Visitors who walk through the doors in its ocean blue facade will find everything from expansive fine art prints to captivating photographs in a variety of sizes, and hand-stitched embroidered canvases as well as smaller trinkets such as jewellery, scented candles, oracle cards and more.
We stopped by Santa Eulalia’s newest creative hub to talk to Sofia about this exciting new chapter in her Ibiza story, and what it really means to create a space rooted in purpose.
Sofia, huge congratulations! We love your space – what inspired you to open this gallery?
It all started last year when I put on my first ever exhibitions – three in total. I usually take pictures for everyone, so when I was presented with the opportunity I thought it’s time to finally do my own thing! And I have studied all of this: Art, and then art history, graphic design and communications, so it was very easy for me to put everything together. I came up with the concept, I designed all the materials and I invited everyone.
Did you enjoy the process?
I loved all of it: The curation and choosing the papers, dealing with the printers, and all of these things. It also reconnected me to my younger self, 16-year-old me, and all of these parts of myself that I had let go when I moved to Ibiza – because since I came here, I have mainly been doing photography.
While all of that was happening, my husband, Luca, said, ‘I really see you shining, you’re really good at this. You should do this.’ I was worried about the financial side, about giving up my job, but he kept pushing me and started to send me potential places to look at.
And what a great location you have here!
I saw this place online while I was on holiday in Kenya. I remembered it as a small clothes shop that was full of stuff, and it was very dated when we went to see it – there were rails hanging out of the walls, the floor was yellow, and there were stickers on the ceiling. But seeing it empty, it was not as small as I remembered. So we completely refurbished everything, and we did it all by ourselves – we even built a wall, and I did all the painting! And actually, the space gave us a lot of ideas for what it could be. For example, the traditional Ibicencan shelves that are built into the wall lent itself perfectly for the shop element of the gallery.
Tell us more about the concept behind Olas Gallery…
My whole idea was to make a gallery about Ibiza – because there’s nothing like that here! I wanted to involve all my friends and all the artists I know. To go back and remember what Ibiza is all about: An incredible place full of creative people, with crazy stuff happening all the time, and everyone has so much to say. And also, we all have our own relationship with the island that’s different from one another.
And I always wanted to have a shop and gallery in one, a place where people can come in and buy something. I didn’t want it to be intimidating or unaffordable, I wanted the people who come inside to be able to leave with something – and find cool things created on the island. And we have the terrace as well, so in the future I’d like to host workshops here. So we’re small, but we have a lot of punch!
Why did you choose the name Olas – which means ‘waves’ in Spanish?
I wanted to find something that felt expansive, open and wide. And one day I was walking by the beach, and ‘olas’ came to me – because the waves have all those characteristics. They go together but they are all different, and they work as a unit as well. We, as humans, are like drops in the ocean – all those things came up. And when I saw this space, from which you can see the sea, that was it!
I also wanted the concept to have movement, to be dynamic, to be expansive and growing. We can move like the waves, we can go to other places for pop-ups and all those sort of things. And I love all the puns that go with it: ‘Making waves’, and ‘join the wave’, and ‘dive into art’.
The first exhibition was titled “We live on an island. We are islanders, but we are not isolated.” What does that mean to you?
All of our collective exhibitions are called that because it’s all about community, and we need connection. It’s about working together. In our first exhibition, we were five artists talking about what it is like to live on an island – and by coincidence, we all started talking about the water. Which was great, because it was our opening and it was very connected to the ‘olas’ concept.
The water is our limit, but it’s what also brings us together. It’s endless. And so the first exhibition had five artists including Helen Sadler, Liz Kueneke, Aguascopio, Sarah G Tur, and myself. But in the shop we have many more island-based creatives, around 25 at the moment, and we’re going to be adding more along the way.
How often do you change over the exhibitions?
The idea is that the exhibitions are going to be changing between every six to eight weeks, and our shop is also going to be cyclical. It’s a concept boutique all about Ibiza. We don’t really mind what your artistic medium is, as long as it is made here on the island.
What kind of things do you have in the shop?
It’s constantly changing, but we have a wide range of different creations that could be everything from books to ceramics, perfumes, jewellery, and postcards. Then, we have a big range of prints. Across both the exhibition and the shop we have some amazing artists.
Amongst the ‘first wave’, for example, was La Skimal, a photographer born and bred in Ibiza who has captured the history of the clubs for many years. Another Ibizan artist is Sarah G Tur, who does amazing underwater art. I find it incredible. She takes all the pictures herself with a model – how can you direct someone 20 metres under the sea without breathing? Wow!
Liz Kueneke, who does all the embroidery, made this incredible map where she went investigating all the ancient wells and the streams of Ibiza. Most of them are already dry, so it’s like the memory of the water. It’s really special work that she does, she spends a lot of time researching. And then, Helen Sadler, she does all of this reflection on how the light works with the water. She always works with the natural colours of the island.
But, of course, as everything is made in small numbers, things can sell out fast!
And then there are your prints, of course! We love the funky little boats in this picture…
Yes, a little bit of humour to this island life that sometimes gets a little bit too serious. I just love to capture the fun of it, and get a little bit of colour in it!
What if we fall in love with a big print on our holidays?
We can offer all of the prints in different sizes. We have some sizes already available to buy directly, or you can pre-order in different sizes. We also do the framing, and we bring it to your house – or ship it to wherever you are. So we offer the full circle. And I can help with deciding what frame would look good with which piece, or if you want to curate your home in some way. It’s really special when someone chooses your art to put in their home, or to give it to others as a gift.
Amazing! So you help people to bring a touch of Ibiza to their homes?
Yes, I went to curate an entire house last week where I had some of my photography – but then I also have pieces from other artists. We have a big catalogue of artists here, and we offer it to clients in different ways so they can make their house beautiful and full of Ibiza.
What are your hopes for the future of Olas Gallery?
I want there to be a moment when a lot of islanders are going to be able to show here, and I’m very excited to see what’s going to happen. We’ve got a lot of people asking to have space, so I want to give everyone the chance to show or to sell at the shop – or online as well, on our website.
But like I said, this is not just about art, you can come here and find some nice oracle cards, or really nice handmade books, perfumes and candles, and incredible jewellery – this half sun necklace by Silvie is one of my favourites!
You can find Olas Gallery next to the seafront, at Carrer de Joan Tur Tur 22 in Santa Eulalia. For further information visit olasgallery.com and follow @olasgalleryibiza and @sofiagomezfonzo on Instagram.
