Ibizology

The island of Ibiza has always imbued what touches it with a special spirit. Olivier first discovered the freewheeling Mediterranean island at the height of its bohemian heyday in the 1970s. He was so taken with its fluid and creative lifestyle that he bought a house in the middle of its sunny capital city and soon became a part of the island's history, its glamour and its art.

Ibizology, his latest exhibition, is a meticulously planned selection of his Ibiza-inspired drawings and collages. It creates a picture of his island; a place with its own reality where anything seems possible. It is his homage to Ibiza's rhythm of life and its endless sources of inspiration: the freedom, the variety of music, nature and the unique mix of people.

This collection of pleasure, honest hedonism and magical cultural interaction, resonates with images from the fantastical realm of Olivier's imagination. Sometimes it tells a story about escapism, infantile excitement or dreamed and lived sexuality.

At other times, it focuses on a pointed visual vocabulary, in which reflections of ancient and contemporary art can be found.

Extraordinarily, Olivier creates all his work with closed eyes in a distinctive process. First, he draws an image on canvas, and then he paints it on cardboard or handmade paper, so the viewer can follow a picture’s development.

Ibizology is the result of almost 40 years of delightful experience, but it is not all play. It is about the omnipresent temptation and beauty of the island. It demonstrates how freedom on Ibiza extends beyond its own subjective limits. Attraction becomes desire. Music becomes an image. And the present becomes the past.

Ladies and gentlemen - welcome to a fictional and experiential Ibicenco universe that only emerges bit by bit: Ibizology. Fabio Christ, long-standing friend of Olivier, Ibiza-enthusiast and award winning creative writer