2016 Belmond La Residencia arts programme springs into lifeMay 5, 2016

On Thursday 5 May the duo of Pedro y Julio will give a performance in aid of the Vicente Ferrer Foundation, India at Belmond La Residencia. The vernissage for Soller-based artist Janet Brewster will take place on Friday 6 May at the hotel’s renowned Sa Tafona gallery.

Janet Brewster and the sensuality of form

When I asked Janet what was the link between her nudes, still lifes and landscapes her answer was ‘I suppose the connection is the sensuality of form. It’s a real turn on for me.’ As it is for anyone who appreciates Janet’s work.

Janet, a transplanted native New Yorker who attended the prestigious Art Students League of New York in Manhattan, has lived in Soller since 2006. Her eponymous gallery is on C/Luna, just off the main plaza. This will be her first solo show at The Resi and will encompass much of the work she’s been doing since she came to live on the island.

The mystery and beauty of life is, Janet says, her main inspiration and her influences include the Symbolists, Romantics and Pre-Raphaelites. ‘If we think back to the work of Caspar David Friedrich, for example, or the 19^th-century preoccupation with the sublime, it’s easy to see why Mallorca, with its brooding mountains, savage landscapes, bucolic forests and fecundity would inspire me. It’s an ancient landscape that has always been at the crossroads of the Mediterranean and many artists feel the sirens calling us here.’

For Janet, showing her work at The Resi in Deia in spring is a great pleasure. ‘After a cold, damp winter, the return of the light and warmth of Persephone is always welcome,’ she says. ‘Deia is a free-spirited place, diverse and international but in touch with its roots and traditions. It’s undeniably a source of inspiration for me. La Residencia has a long tradition as a patron of art and is an integral part of Deia’s artistic community. I’m excited to be part of this tradition and very grateful to Cecilie Sheridan and the hotel for the kind invitation.’

And what does Janet hope will be the response to her work? ‘This is an opportunity for others to share my love of the island, discover my sense of enchantment and wonder or rediscover their own. I hope people will look at the island from a new angle, that they’ll see the rocks and water in a different light and remember that all the beauty and mystery of nature can reside in a simple lemon or gnarled, venerable olive tree.’

Experience Janet’s work for yourself at Sa Tafona from 6 to 18 May.

Dig the mellow Latin sound of Pedro y Julio in a good cause

I’ve seen guitar, piano and vocals duo Julio Arcalá Fanti and Pedro Rosa play their wonderfully laidback Latin music several times and it’s always a great pleasure. Julio is Argentinian and Pedro is Brazilian and they’re adroit, soulful musicians who evoke everything from bossa nova to tango without being confined to a single genre. The 15€ entrance fee for the performance will go to support the Vicente Ferrer Foundation, a cause dear to the heart of Belmond La Residencia’s Louise Davis.

The story of Jesuit missionary Vicente Ferrer and his wife Anna is one of people believing in their ability to help against all odds and never giving up on hope. In forty years they made an impoverished desert region in India fertile by helping to dig wells and introduce irrigation and water storage while simultaneously training local ‘untouchables’ how to help themselves. They have lifted a complete society out of poverty and their example is being used by the authorities who once scorned them as the way forward.

Louise supports the Foundation because ‘Everything we raise goes directly to the Foundation and we’re able to say how it should be spent. Each year we choose a different area – education, hospitals, housing, training women in a craft so they can support themselves, and so on. We encourage concert-goers to consider sponsoring a child. It really is a great thing to do for not much money. They’ll receive regular letters from the “adopted” child and know money is being spent on achieving wonderful results. And a personal link is established to the Foundation.’

Uplifting music performed in a beautiful setting for a good cause. What could be better?

Links

The Brewster Gallery

Pedro y Julio

La Belmond Residencia

Vicente Ferrer Foundation