ARGUIÑE ESCANDÓN
The gift of interpreting reality through images
The gaze of photographer Arguiñe Escandón, a resident of the island of Ibiza for more than a decade, focuses her attention on psychological and sociological aspects, as well as the exploration of bonds.
She has just arrived from France, where, at the iconic Les Rencontres d’Arles 2023 international photography festival, she was exhibiting her project Aya, shot in the Peruvian jungle with her colleague Yann Gross. Aya, published by RM, has been nominated as one of the best photobooks in several competitions, and the accompanying exhibition has been staged at Wilde Gallery (Geneva), Swiss Design Awards (Basel), Festival Images (Vevey) and Círculo de Bellas Artes de Madrid, among other venues.
This photographer’s interest in reinterpreting real events with visual metaphors has led her to be part of Futures Photography at the PHotoEspaña festival with her project Donde crecen las plantas salvajes (Where the Wild Plants Grow), in which she highlights the mystery surrounding the Triángulo del Silencio (Triangle of Silence).
CRISTINA PALAU
Working for the benefit of women
Cristina Palau (Ibiza, 1983) went to Copenhagen in 2012 on a one-year work contract. A decade later she is still in the same city, having worked for the United Nations Population Fund since 2021.
In her position as Team Lead, she oversees the coordination and procurement processes for all types of the contraceptives used in programmes developed around the world so that women, even those with scant resources, can have access to quality products at very competitive prices.
What’s more, the UNFPA agency is working on family-planning issues to ensure that all women have the right to decide, that they have access to contraceptives, and that in the event of pregnancy they receive the necessary care before, during and after the birth of the baby. Palau says that she is “proud” that her work contributes to helping support families, regardless of their resources, and to making sure that women can give birth in safe conditions. The aim, she says, is to make “a better and fairer world”.
ÁNGELES FERRAGUT
The search for inspiration through art
Although she was raised in Ibiza, Ángeles Ferragut chose to look beyond the land that saw her grow up, moving to live in Havana, New York, London and Madrid, to train and become immersed in other cultures and the performing arts.
After more than 15 years in different parts of the world, Ferragut has returned to Ibiza as alma mater of Ses12naus, a project that promotes contemporary creation in Ibiza with artists’ residencies and exhibitions the whole year round.
Ses12naus seeks to promote initiatives that generate dialogues between “contemporary creation, the cultural and natural heritage of Ibiza and local imaginaries”, combining “creation, knowledge and fun”. The exchange of ideas, the development of inspiring projects, the promotion of cultural production and critical thinking are the foundations of Ses12naus. La Carpintería, a space located in the Can Bufí industrial estate, hosts the exhibitions and activities promoted by the foundation.
CARMEN VIDAL
A filmmaker’s vision, festooned with international awards
Carmen Vidal (Ibiza, 1981) has already already racked up 12 NY Emmys, a Student Academy Award (the Oscars for students) and three Telly Awards for different audiovisual projects that have been screened at festivals around the world.
A screenwriter, director and television producer, she left Ibiza to study Audiovisual Communication in Barcelona. These first steps were followed by others, such as training in Prague at one of Europe’s most prestigious film schools, to end up in New York and Cuba, where she specialized. And from that work, that perseverance and that talent, she has reaped these rewards.
Vidal has a keen interest in social issues and has demonstrated this by working for New York’s public television station, CUNY TV, showing the life of Latinos in the Big Apple. Among other works are her documentaries about historical memory ‘Exiles’ and ‘Retrats’, directed by her and which recounts the lives of exiles in Mexico as a result of the Spanish Civil War.
LINA TUR
Personified passion for musical tradition
To talk about Lina Tur is to talk about her virtuosity with the violin, which has seen her become a global figure, her love for music and her curiosity for the European tradition. Tur, who began learning music at the age of three with her father, Antonio Tur, has developed her career as a violinist and conductor, which has taken her to a number of different stages. From Vienna to Paris, passing through New York, London or Tokyo, as well as all over Spain.
From a very young age, the Ibizan violinist has worked with the most-renowned artists in baroque, romantic and contemporary music to become a worldwide reference point, thanks to her performances of the first versions of a lot of music, as well as her recordings of unpublished music for solo violin from great composers.
Her passion for music has led her to found and run MUSIca ALcheMIca, an ensemble created during her stay in Vienna, where she always counts on top-quality musicians.
