June 6, 2026 | Art & Culture
media partner YUZU
an ART FAIR SHAPED by the ISLAND
CAN IBIZA
words Onur Basturk
As CAN Art Fair Ibiza returns for its fifth edition this June, the fair continues to shape a different pace for contemporary art in the Mediterranean. Bringing together 30 international exhibitors alongside an expanding OFF Program and CAN Local initiative, CAN increasingly feels less like a conventional fair and more like something embedded within the island itself. YUZU is among this year’s media partners of the fair.
We spoke with curator Saša Bogojev about Ibiza’s atmosphere, smaller-scale art experiences, and why the fair has grown beyond the traditional white-cube format.
A SMALLER, MORE RELAXED ALTERNATIVE TO THE STANDARD ART FAIR MODEL
Over the past five years, CAN Ibiza has become one of the Mediterranean’s most closely watched contemporary art gatherings. What do you think Ibiza offers to the art world today that other fairs or cities cannot?
I think we landed on something that the world is slowly discovering as a sustainable alternative to standard art fair practice. Instead of large, overwhelming fairs in busy cities, we offer smaller events with hand-picked presenters, held in a relaxing and more informal environment. With the island being so beautiful and having a lot to offer on its own, every participant and visitor already feels good about being there in the first place, so everything else feels like a bonus.
CAN Ibiza does not seem to revolve around a single central theme this year. Yet there is still a strong shared atmosphere throughout the fair, shaped by ideas of place, landscape, and perception. Was this something you consciously wanted to build into the curatorial framework?
No, the themes usually propose themselves, and as a curator, I love seeing that happen. As commercial events, fairs aren’t easy to fully curate in that sense, but that dynamic also has its value because they often point to a larger picture of the world around us. I was particularly excited to see a number of works touching on the subject of illusion, especially sculptural works, and humanity’s shifting experience of understanding and trusting reality.
IT’S IMPORTANT TO MAKE MORE OF THE ISLAND PART OF THE FAIR ITSELF
Why was it important for CAN to move beyond the traditional fair format and engage more directly with Ibiza itself? And how much does the island shape your approach to contemporary art?
For us — and I’m saying “us” because the OFF Program isn’t something I’m personally curating — it’s important to go beyond the fair format so more of the island becomes part of the project. From the first year, we didn’t want to be a circus that shows up once a year, puts on a show, and then leaves. The OFF Program is our way of connecting what already exists on the island with what we bring, and vice versa. It’s also a way to motivate visitors to explore locations and parts of Ibiza they might otherwise overlook, and hopefully discover something that stays with them.
IT’S DIFFICULT TO DEFINE EXACTLY WHAT MAKES A WORK “EXCITING”
You describe CAN Ibiza’s selection process as “artist-first.” What do you personally look for when selecting galleries and artists for the fair?
I’m constantly looking at art — virtually, at galleries, fairs, studios, everywhere really — and I’m always excited when I come across works that genuinely feel exciting. It’s hard to describe exactly what makes a work “exciting,” because it can be the subject matter, the technique, the atmosphere, the attitude behind it, or even the way people talk about it. So the core idea is simply to identify those kinds of works and then find the right people willing to present them at CAN.
Where do you see CAN Ibiza five years from now?
I see it — or better, I hope to see it — becoming a globally recognised synonym for a unique art event that is equally enjoyed and appreciated by both visitors and the artists and galleries participating in it.
