August 7, 2026 | Art & Culture
the ISLAND as GALLERY
words Nicolas Vamvouklis
photos Daniel Schaefer (Gallery + Garden + Cantina + Martin Creed) Be Creative (Illa del Rei)
Housed in a restored eighteenth-century naval hospital, Hauser & Wirth Menorca pairs contemporary art with gardens, architecture and the rhythms of island life.
A PLACE RECLAIMED
In Mahón harbour, a small landmass rises gently from blue water. Illa del Rei carries a stillness that invites you to slow down. From the port, a brief boat journey brings visitors across. The vessel docks beside weathered stone walls. What lies beyond is unexpected.
Hauser & Wirth opened its Menorcan outpost here in 2021. The buildings once formed an English naval hospital dating back to 1711 before being abandoned for decades. A local foundation led a fifteen-year restoration with the support of volunteers, while Paris-based studio Laplace oversaw the architectural transformation, preserving lime-washed walls, original timber beams and terrazzo floors made with local stone. Today, eight galleries occupy the restored complex. Since opening, the institution has welcomed more than 330,000 visitors, evolving into a destination rooted as much in community as in contemporary art.
Alongside the galleries, Piet Oudolf designed a perennial garden where something is in bloom throughout the year. Native grasses sway in the coastal wind, drought-tolerant species thrive in the island's climate, and a sculpture trail extends across the grounds.
ART IN MOTION
The 2026 programme began in spring. Martin Creed presented Work No. 3891: Half the Air in a Given Space, first conceived in 1998. Visitors stepped into galleries filled with balloons, where movement reshaped volume and form, while wall paintings accompanied the installation. Throughout his Turner Prize-winning practice, Creed treats existence itself as material, dissolving the boundaries between living and making.
Directionless opened in June and continues through October. Curated by Rashid Johnson, the exhibition brings together Yto Barrada, Georg Baselitz, Ali Cherri and Mona Hatoum, among others. Its premise is simple: we inhabit a time of profound disorientation, where inherited narratives no longer offer clear direction. Each artist responds by inventing new visual languages and finding bearings where familiar maps no longer suffice.
AN ISLAND BEYOND THE GALLERIES
A visit naturally continues at Cantina, the waterfront bistro run by Binifadet, a Menorcan winery just minutes away. The menu follows the seasons, while wines come from nearby vineyards. Outside, fig trees cast shade over the terrace.
As a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, Menorca places sustainability at the heart of everyday life. Rainwater feeds the irrigation system, energy-efficient technologies reduce emissions, and the long-term goal is to halve the site's carbon footprint before 2030.
Learning remains equally central. School programmes run throughout the academic year, while workshops for adults continue across the seasons. Since opening, more than 22,000 participants have taken part.
What lingers is the memory of a place carefully brought back to life, where art, architecture and landscape exist in quiet balance. And as the boat returns across Mahón harbour, the crossing feels subtly different from the one that brought you here.
