Spencer Lewis in Studio
Celebrating 10 years of institutional art exhibitions, this summer Fundación La Nave Salinas will showcase two back-to-back solo presentations.
Under the visionary patronage of Lio Malca and the direction of Isaac Malca, the summer will open with a solo exhibition by Spencer Lewis on June 21st, 2025, and continue with a solo exhibition by Pedro Pedro on August 16th, 2025. This landmark moment amplifies the foundation’s unwavering commitment to showcasing compelling contemporary art within its iconic 8,000 sq foot space on the Mediterranean Sea, where artistic vision collides with architectural grandeur.
Established in 2015 in a 1940s salt warehouse with soaring 30-foot ceilings, La Nave Salinas has become a vital platform for ambitious art projects and large-scale installations. Its storied legacy includes site-specific exhibitions by leading artists such as Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf, Marco Brambilla, Bill Viola, KAWS, Rafa Macarrón, Eva Beresin, Jonny Niesche, and Mai Blanco, each presented in a dynamic dialogue between site and artistic vision. The unique architectural scale of the space allows for immersive and transformative experiences, making it the centerpiece for contemporary art in Ibiza.
Spencer Lewis | June 21st – August 8th, 2025
Spencer Lewis (b. 1979) creates vivid paintings on jute, saturated with bright colors and marked by heavily worked, tactile surfaces. Streaked lines, smears of paint, and rough, slashed strokes criss cross with visceral force, the result of unbridled, often violent movements that deliberately subject the canvas to fatigue and overworking, unveiling an organic power. While his gestural vigor recalls Abstract Expressionist action painting, the striking palette resonates with Modernism.
In his youth, Lewis encountered his mother’s books on Hans Hofmann and Willem de Kooning, acquiring his own copies to draw over reproductions with ballpoint pen. This practice allowed him to dissect their lines and planes of color, honing an understanding of how to shift, fold, and build space in his own paintings. Such explorations underpin Lewis’s layered compositions, where raw energy and methodical study collide to forge a charged, immersive experience.