Ibiza´s CAN (Contemporary Art Now) Art Fair has just finished its fifth successful year at Ibiza Town’s FECOEV main exhibition space, CAN Art, together with its successful offshoot OFF, at various other locations around the island, now comprises over thirty galleries from Ibiza, mainland Spain, the rest of Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia.

With an abundance of huge white walls in Ibiza’s villas needing art, an increasingly wealthy resident base and an open-minded, hedonistic nature, it’s no surprise that the art world is discovering the potential of the Ibiza market. What took you so long?! Serious international gallerists such as @gathering.london and @parraromero already knew this. CAN Art is now rapidly spreading the word.

Founded by Sergio Sancho and curated by Sasha Bogojev, there’s a gentle, modern, uplifting vibe to the works on display, which include painting, textiles, sculpture and installations amongst other media. There is an absence of established, recognisable works by big-name artists that you see at bigger art fairs, but in their place is a decent amount of work from a good range of well-established and up-and-coming contemporary artists. Highlights this year for me included Madrid gallerist Marc Bibiloni showing Miju Lee‘s surreal South Korean dreamscapes and Jaime Urial’s brilliant oil painting The Dog Days Are Over. Amsterdam’s Rademakers Gallery presented beautiful work by textile designer Anne von Freyburg. She rethinks textiles with painterly influences, with a female gaze.  Claire Witteven´s oil on linen abstracts shown by Fluid Gallery from Amsterdam are also strong – the abstract work in general was my favourite work in the show. Belgian gallery Verduyn Gallery presented the genius of Vanessa van Meerhaeghe, her fantastic painting of a group of topless gambling women united by their sour expressions. Ibiza gallery inbetweenibiza showed great pieces by local artists Jesus de Miguel and Malvina Kang Hughes . I could go on…

Those of us used to the larger, more urban art fairs such as Frieze or Art Basel will note immediately the absence of angst, politics, trauma and rebellion in the works shown. Maybe this is because people in Ibiza want to forget the bad side of life and humanity, especially in their homes. Does that make CAN Art a bit lightweight in comparison? Probably, but the gallerists are here to sell to a primarily domestic market. And sometimes it’s good to forget about real life, something that spending time in Ibiza is renowned for. Save time for CAN Art next year.

Queerguru’s Senior Contributing Editor Ris Fatah is a successful fashion/luxury business consultant  (when he can be bothered) who divides and wastes his time between London and Ibiza. He is a lover of all things queer, feminist, and human rights in general. @ris.fatah