Martha Cooper Shoots Bloop International Proactive Art Festival in Ibiza

Sorry for the late post but I’ve been on a whirlwind street art festival circuit this summer and am just catching up on blogging. First in mid-July was Bloop Festival, in Ibiza, a spectacularly beautiful island off the coast of Valencia, Spain. Bloop got its name from a mysterious and as yet unidentified oceanic sound detected by scientists.

Ibiza is known for non-stop partying. There are discos open 24/7! The island is not known as a street art destination but the Bloop organizers are working hard to change that perception by (and I quote):“focusing on the innovative artistic and cultural proposals of the island, instead of its transgressive ones.” Frankly I don’t see why anyone would want to spend all their time on Ibiza clubbing when they could be enjoying water, sun and sand on a beautiful beach.

“Appearance” was the theme of this year’s festival and I was invited to put together an exhibit to be held at the lovely Can Jeroni gallery in the town of Sant Josep. I printed about 170 photos of artists at work and titled the show “Making an Appearance” since graffiti and street artists aren’t often seen.

Sincere thanks to the organizers and volunteers for inviting me, escorting me around the island and helping to hang the show. I wish I had been able to stay longer to meet more artists and see more finished walls. But I had to get back home in order to fly to Rochester, NY for Wall Therapy. That post will be coming up soon.

Text and Photo: Martha Cooper