Bringing together a group of international artists whose practices move between painting, sculpture, photography and works on paper, Patricia Low Contemporary’s presentation for CAN Art Fair Ibiza 2026 reflects on the ways contemporary artists construct worlds of colour, image, humour and imagination. Across the works on view, figures, objects, interiors and landscapes become charged spaces, at times playful, theatrical or dreamlike, where familiar forms are transformed into something stranger and more open-ended.
Painting sits at the centre of the presentation. In the works of Helen Downie, Alice Gavalet, Jordy Kerwick, Elsa Rouy, Luke Edward Hall and Yves Scherer, the figure becomes a site of reinvention. Their approaches differ widely, moving from intimate and instinctive gestures to more stylised, symbolic or staged compositions, yet each artist treats the image as a space where identity, memory and fiction can shift. Bodies appear fragmented, disguised, exposed or absorbed into their surroundings, suggesting a world in which appearances are never fixed.
This sense of transformation continues through the work of Joel Mesler and Nicolas Lefebvre. Mesler’s paintings and works on paper bring together language, colour and personal symbolism, creating compositions that feel at once direct and elusive. Lefebvre’s work draws upon collected materials, architectural fragments and natural forms, building layered objects that carry traces of travel, history and place. Together, their practices introduce a dialogue between image and object, between the immediacy of the painted surface and the physical presence of things.
Photography and sculpture extend this conversation further. Mario Testino’s images explore the construction of glamour, intimacy and performance, revealing the ways an image can shape both public identity and private mythology. Erwin Wurm’s sculptural language approaches the body and the everyday through distortion, wit and absurdity, turning familiar forms into moments of tension and surprise. Within the context of Ibiza, where image, leisure and performance are deeply intertwined, these works take on a particular resonance.
Rather than following a single theme, the presentation unfolds through a series of correspondences between artists. Colour, humour, artifice and the body recur throughout the booth, creating a lively and layered encounter between distinct practices. For CAN Art Fair Ibiza, Patricia Low Contemporary presents a selection that reflects the gallery’s ongoing interest in artists who use image-making not simply to represent the world, but to reshape the way it is seen.
