Ibiza isn’t just a place on a map — it’s a feeling. A pulse. A mosaic made up of countless lives, stories, and rhythms that come together to create something larger than the sum of its parts. This edition is a milestone for NATIV — our tenth issue, and perhaps our most personal. Since we launched in 2019, our mission has been to dive beneath the surface of Ibiza’s bright lights and famous faces, to tell stories that matter, that reveal the heart of this island. Now, with the People Edition, we bring it all home.
Because Ibiza’s true essence lives in its people — the dreamers, the makers, the guardians, and the quiet unsung heroes. We’ve gathered 24 voices across our six pillars — Culture, Music, Food, Ecology, Health, and People. Some of them are iconic, instantly recognisable figures who have helped shape Ibiza’s global story. Others work away from the spotlight, deeply rooted in their communities, holding traditions alive or breaking new ground in their own ways.
Among them, you’ll meet a doctor advancing cancer research, an environmentalist protecting marine life, a music school director nurturing local talent, a DJ promoting the Ibiza name worldwide, a chef championing zero waste, a vet caring for island animals and the man leading waste collection efforts — just to name a few. They come from all walks of life — born here or drawn by the island’s magic, young and old, local and global — but they share one thing in common: a profound love for Ibiza, shown through action, commitment, and care.
These are just a handful of the people who build and rebuild the island’s spirit every day. Amazing folk who nurture its creativity, protect its fragile ecology, feed its body and soul, and keep its culture vibrant and alive. They’re the pulse beneath the pulse — the heartbeat you don’t always see but always feel.
This edition is more than a collection of profiles. It’s a thank you. A celebration of those who have given their time, energy, and passion so Ibiza can continue to be the place we all know and love — complex, soulful, ever-evolving, and endlessly inspiring.
As you turn these pages, we invite you to meet these extraordinary individuals. To hear their stories, feel their dedication, and understand why they matter — not just to Ibiza, but to all of us who carry a piece of this island in our hearts.
Welcome to The People Edition. Welcome home.
01
FANNY TUR
Historian
“THE BUSINESS OF KEEPING TRADITIONS ALIVE IS THRIVING”
In Ibiza, history and tradition are an essential part of the island’s energy. A millennia-old legacy that we can still enjoy today thanks to professionals like Fanny Tur, director of the Historical Archive of Eivissa and Formentera (AHEF) and a well-known cultural and political activist. Her work is an invaluable contribution to the present and future of the Pityusic Islands.
What aspect of Ibiza’s culture fascinates you the most?
The fact that so many cultures and civilizations have passed through here and turned the island into a historically strategic location. That such a small territory holds so much preserved heritage, from the Phoenician era to the present day. I’m fascinated by what has always been known as folk culture and is now considered intangible heritage. The gastronomy, with exceptional desserts like flaó, graixonera, or bullit de peix. The ways people connect, the music, the dancing… There are few places where traditional dress is so rich, colorful and adorned with so many jewels.
Is Ibiza keeping traditions alive, modernizing them, or creating something completely new?
The business of keeping traditions alive is thriving, thanks to the work of many people: the Federació de Colles, the colles de ball pagès themselves, the sonadors and musicians who keep traditional music going, but also modern bands that are creating new versions of traditional songs like Projecte Mut, Ressonadors, or the pioneering UC group.
How does Ibiza influence your work, and how do you influence Ibiza?
Ibiza is always present in my daily life, whether as director of the Arxiu Històric d’Eivissa I Formentera and the city’s municipal libraries, or in my work as a historian and writer. I’ve always researched Ibiza and Formentera. It’s my passion and the job never ends. You can always discover something new. How do I influence the island? I have no idea. I’m just a humble worker passionate about what I do.
02
CAEN BOTTO & MARTA RUPÉREZ
Visual artists
“IN IBIZA, WE’VE FOUND A BALANCE BETWEEN TECHNOLOGY AND NATURE”
Art and technology are the cornerstones of Caen Botto and Marta Rupérez’s work. Through their studio Nourathar, they create experiences that explore emotion, perception and the potential of emerging technologies. From Ibiza, they also lead PATÊ (Association of Professionals in Audiovisual Arts, Entertainment and Show Technologies), a network promoting cultural innovation on the island.
What aspect of Ibiza’s art and culture fascinates you the most?
The uniqueness of its history, because of how much it has changed in a short time. It’s a history you can still feel in the present through its culture and traditions. Its cosmopolitan nature stands out, with an international community that lives here year-round and lays the foundation of the island’s open, tolerant character. In Ibiza, we’ve found a balance between elements that have always attracted us: technology and nature; past and present.
How do you see the evolution of visual art on the island?
Ibiza has always attracted a large number of artists and intellectuals and fostered the exchange of ideas, experiences and processes. The constant flow of musicians, producers, creators and collectors makes it a major showcase for the outside world. In recent years, the opening of galleries, cultural spaces and the art fair have helped position it on the international stage.
How does Ibiza influence your work, and how does your work influence Ibiza?
Our work before 2013 was purely virtual, focused on interactive installations or audiovisual performances. Ibiza gave us the right context to create mixed-reality pieces where physical and virtual elements meet. When we arrived, we noticed that major tech innovations and the art world were still in separate spheres. Our mission since then has been to promote technological creativity through courses, exhibitions and talks. We believe we’ve helped generate synergies between artists and technology.
03
JESSICA FERRER & DIEGO MARTÍNEZ
Artistic duo
“WE’RE MORE INFLUENCED BY A MOUNTAIN BEING DESTROYED THAN BY A PRETTY LANDSCAPE”
Music and poetry, words and instruments that make you laugh, think and dream. These are the simple tools used by Ibiza-born poet and performer Jessica Ferrer and musician and clown Diego Martínez. Together, they form the duo Ses Honorables Virtuts Il·lògiques, a project that combines humor, sensitivity and rhythm, and champions a culture that is not at the service of tourists. They give voice to the island’s cultural youth, which is making its way in a thoughtful, creative and straightforward manner.
What part of Ibizan culture do you inhabit as creators?
Jessica: It’s a mix, because half of us comes from that Ibiza of a thousand Ibizan surnames, but the other half is immigrant Ibiza. We identify more with what we’re not. And where we don’t feel comfortable is in the whole scene aimed at tourism, in that idea that culture exists to bring in more visitors. That’s not at all the kind of artistic life we inhabit or support.
Are you keeping traditions alive or modernizing them?
Jessica: What we do is in Catalan, and that’s not a tradition but one of the core elements of Ibiza’s identity, a point of connection with its culture. On the other hand, we have diverse cultural influences that come from our experiences in different disciplines and artistic genres that didn’t necessarily originate here.
How does Ibiza influence your artistic work?
Jessica: The main influence is the material conditions we use to create. Having the privilege of a house to live and work in – which may sound basic, but here it’s not – is huge. We’re more influenced by the mountain being destroyed in front of our home to build a mansion than by a pretty landscape. Or by the massive social inequalities we live with every day.
Diego: And it’s good to speak out, but we also need to create spaces. We’re launching the Association of Performing Arts Professionals of the Pityusic Islands (APAEP) to improve conditions for artists living on the island – not all of us work in hotels or clubs.
04
JUAN MARÍ
Owner of Las Dalias
“WE WANT PEOPLE TO SEE AND FEEL A REAL WORLD”
You can’t understand Ibiza without Las Dalias – a meeting place for locals and tourists to discover and enjoy the hippie culture that has given so much to this island. And Las Dalias wouldn’t exist without Juan Marí – Juanito to everyone – or his father, who made his dream come true by opening the venue in 1954. We spoke with the guardian of an oasis that embodies the true essence of the island.
What do you love most about Ibiza’s hippie culture?
Its freedom, its philosophy, its simplicity, its love of nature, its way of living – especially that of the earlier hippies – the ones who got the island known. Because now, truthfully, things have changed a bit, but there are still people who are searching for that.
At the Las Dalias market, are you keeping traditions alive or modernizing them?
We are trying to keep them alive, so people know where we come from, what life used to be like, and how the island’s recent history has unfolded over the 70 years that Las Dalias has existed. That said, modernization and digitalization are inevitable. At Las Dalias, we want visitors to see and feel a real world, ideally without screens, without so many photos, where connection, hugs and the feeling of being with people take center stage.
How does Ibiza influence your work and how do you influence Ibiza?
I was born in Ibiza. My family – my parents, grandparents, great-grandparents – were all Ibizan. Ibiza means everything to me. I’ve traveled a lot and honestly, I haven’t found anywhere that fulfills me like Ibiza does. I’ve never seen a place that brings together so much in one spot. I’d like to preserve it – not exactly as it was in the ’60s and ’70s, but as close as possible. I want Ibiza to last for many more years and for us to keep evolving without losing sight of its authenticity.
