Dreaming in colour at In-Between Ibiza
Dalt Vila’s hottest new gallery space presents an exhibition by painter Karimah Hassan that explores the emotional landscape of Ibiza through colour, memory and form.
Everyone has a different response to Ibiza. Some arrive seeking healing and solace and leave touched by a profound wholeness; others come to release their souls on dancefloors and leave happily exhausted. When an artist visits Ibiza with the express task of producing a body of work, it’s always fascinating to see the island through their art. Painter Karimah Hassan spent last winter participating in an Ibiza residency, immersing herself in the island’s luminosity, vitality and layered past. The result is If Thoughts Become Things, a remarkable exhibition showing at In-Between Ibiza in Dalt Vila from May 24 to July 24, 2025.
Trained as an architect, Hassan brings a spatial awareness that subtly guides her composition. Pause for a moment to take in the bright splashes of colour and bold brush strokes seen in her work at In-Between Ibiza, allowing these initial, somewhat voluptuous forms to settle and you’ll soon see the walls of the old town, ancient archways, windows doused in candlelight and patchy cobble stones surface through the abstract forms. In these vestiges, you can sense the stories and memories of those who’ve passed through these streets and paused to take in the view.
Previously, Hassan has found inspiration in her Welsh, Yemeni and Bangladeshi heritage to tell visual stories about the intersection of culture, memory and consciousness. If Thoughts Become Things marks a departure, or an evolution, of her process. “When people think of Ibiza, they often think of its musical legacy,” she says. “The pulse of Pacha, the nostalgia of 90s ravers and iconic disco culture. But few people consider the island’s magical, invisible qualities.” The 12 works in the collection on show at In-Between Ibiza speak of these imperceptible energies that almost everyone has sensed at some point during their Ibiza journey.
Each painting bears a lyrical, almost incantatory title – If Thoughts Become Things,The World Was Formed Before We Asked How, What Do Your Dreams Taste Like? – provoking a deep engagement with the interior world of both viewer and artist. Hassan is asking a question of us, delighting in the potential for further exploration long after In-Between Ibiza is closed for the night. The use of colour makes the work less about visual decoding and more about emotional resonance, compelling the loose geometry of the architectural elements to appear even more significant.
Speaking to the heartbeat of Ibiza’s character and in connection to the titles of each piece shown at In-Between Ibiza, Hassan’s brushwork feels almost melodic – untethered, rhythmic, improvisational. You sense an artist working quickly and instinctively, with moments of stillness embedded in the commotion. Paintings like The Time Has Come To Receive and When Sky Turns to Water seem to speak of landscape not as geography, but as an experience, mood and recollection. “The land itself is healing,” she says. “The light is unique, softer and more blue on the spectrum here.”
Jessica Courtney, founder and curator at In-Between Ibiza, has been a champion of local and international artists since the gallery’s inception in early 2024. Seeking to build a connection between the island and the greater art world, each exhibition at In-Between Ibiza encourages artists and viewers to engage with the island in their own unique way. “Ibiza is at the core of every exhibition,” Jessica says. “Naturally, each artist will incorporate the island differently. Karimah’s process and work mirrors our ethos. These pieces really capture the unseen layers of the island – they’re dreamlike and full of energy.”
If Thoughts Become Things is a vivid, emotionally intelligent collection that feels both rooted and transcendent. There’s Ibiza in here – its light, its mysticism, its colour and chaos – but there’s also something far more introspective. Hassan doesn’t just paint what she sees. She paints how things feel when remembered, dreamt or longed for. Whether you’re a seasoned art collector, a lover of the island or simply passing through the winding streets of Dalt Vila, this exhibition at In-Between Ibiza is an experience not to be missed.
Dreaming in colour at In-Between Ibiza
Dalt Vila’s hottest new gallery space presents an exhibition by painter Karimah Hassan that explores the emotional landscape of Ibiza.
An Ibiza gallery celebrating local and international contemporary artists whose work reflects the island’s history, eccentricity and creativity.
