The Balearic island of Mallorca has long been a refuge for artists and writers. The island – with its rugged mountains, white sand beaches and hidden rocky coves – is said to possess a mystical kind of energy that emanates from its dramatic landscape, which has long attracted artistic outsiders and bohemian types. No part of the island has become more of a creative meeting place than Deià, a hilltop village on the island’s mountainous west coast. And now, to honour that history, the legendary La Residencia, A Belmond Hotel, is drawing on the island’s creative legacy with its new collaboration with the Spanish fashion house Loewe and its annual Loewe Foundation Craft Prize, a rotating artist residency that sees former finalists installed in the storied hotel for two-month-long residencies, starting with the Japanese artist Kaori Juzu.
The drive to Deià from the bustling city of Palma de Mallorca is a striking one. The terrain starts out flat and slightly sunburnt, with almond farms and cyclists zipping past you on either side. But as you approach the Serra de Tramuntana mountains, the road becomes circuitous, winding up the steep hills as the landscape becomes rocky and intensely green. Eventually, after twisting upwards for about half an hour, the sea materialises at the bottom of a steep cliff, stretching out before you like a painted backdrop. The town of Deià itself is a cascade of sand-toned stone houses that lead to a centuries-old church at the crest of the hill. In the evening, a warm light paints the rugged mountains that cradle the sleepy town like a catcher’s mitt, fading into shades of pink and orange as the sun moves through the sky.
The artist’s studio at La Residencia, A Belmond Hotel, which from summer onwards will host finalists from the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize
When it was founded in the medieval period by the Moors, Deià was a strategic settlement. Its elevated hilltop position allowed for visibility across the coastline, meaning it was relatively cut off from invaders and safe from roving Mediterranean pirates. In the 19th century, European noble families would come here to convalesce thanks to its mild weather and clean mountain air. The Polish pianist Frédéric Chopin, for instance, famously spent several months in the nearby town of Valldemossa, recovering from tuberculosis. In the 1930s, international artists discovered Deià’s peculiar magic when the British writer Robert Graves made this place his home. Others followed, including Anaïs Nin and Pablo Picasso.
That tradition is being continued by the artist and jewellery designer Kaori Juzu, who lived and worked in La Residencia this summer. The Fukuoka-born Juzu was nominated for the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize in 2023 for her intricate creations made out of bent copper and powdered enamel. ‘I start by fusing the metal to create these shapes,’ explains Juzu of her process. ‘And then I colour them with the enamel, which is actually powdered glass. I sift it over the surface and fire it several times to create a unique surface depth and colour.’
Japanese artist Kaori Juzu, who was the first to undertake the new Loewe Foundation Craft Prize residency at La Residencia, A Belmond Hotel
The piece that caught the attention of the Loewe Craft Prize jury was a series of 108 tiny compositions arranged in a grid on a white canvas, each of them a unique abstraction. ‘The number 108 is very significant for Japanese Buddhism,’ she says, noting that on New Year's Eve it is customary to ring temple bells 108 times. The coin-sized forms that make up the composition call to mind the colourful abstractions of Memphis Group prints, rendered minuscule in colour-drenched metal planes. Her more recent work, meanwhile, embraces more earthy, natural hues: tones that recall the greens of olive leaves or the mother-of-pearl sheen of oyster shells.
During her stint in Mallorca, Juzu has experimented with new shades and forms. Every morning before the gardeners arrive on the property – which sprawls over a series of olive-tree-studded stepped terraces in the centre of town – to clean up fallen leaves and wilted blooms, she slips out and gathers them herself to bring back to her studio. She then creates two-dimensional arrangements laid out on a canvas on the studio’s flagstone floor to inspire new colour combinations for her work.
One of Kaori Juzu’s works in metals, created while at La Residencia, A Belmond Hotel
‘Artists in Residencia’ is just the latest creative initiative for La Residencia, A Belmond Hotel, which, from 2023 to 2024, collaborated with Galleria Continua. That partnership saw the hotel host a series of artists, including Daniel Buren and Arcangelo Sassolino as part of the gallery’s ‘MITICO’ series, alongside emerging talents such as Liang Fu and Berta De La Rosa. The hotel also boasts an extensive permanent collection, including a vast array of works by Joan Miró in its Miró restaurant, named in honour of the Spanish painter and sculptor. Following Juzu’s stay at La Residencia, the hotel will host ceramic artist Deirdre McLoughlin and textile artist Dahye Jeong – both part of previous editions of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize – continuing to nurture a new generation of artists in this storied Mallorcan town.