T

he fifth edition of Xtant opened last night in Can Vivot, where artisans from around the world have come to present their work to the public for 5-days. Xtant features an artisan market, a series of talks and workshops and site-specific exhibitions in Es Baluard Museum and in the Torre Canymel. The event started in Mallorca in the summer of 2020 and it has since established itself as one of the most exciting art and cultural events on the island. Founders and co-curators, Kavita Parmar and Marcella Echavarria, have invited the largest number of artists this year in celebration of its fifth edition. The palatial palace, Can Vivot, whose earthy, rustic, essentially ruinous state beautifully compliments the art on view, is where the main artisan market takes place; Through the spacious building, each artist brings a really distinctive and wildly creative vision to their practice. It’s incredible to see so many different styles, ideas, colours and patterns all made from fibre.

From Scottish knitted wools to intricate Indian hand embroideries to stylish clothing made from vintage linens to handwoven brooms, the range is vast and the talent is deep. Some highlights include: No Borders, a collective from India featuring several different artist’s work, including a stunning hand embroidered tapestry done by the mom of one of the artists in the collective, an Italian weaver, Simone, founder of Ozio, who was taught by his uncle and has constructed his own loom from his workshop in Tuscany where he makes handwoven bags, covers for beautiful notebooks, blankets and more, Nansika Sharma, who hand stitches fabrics, often dyed with indigo, whose patterns are inspired by the body, specifically things like neural patterns or brain waves spreading. Local talent, Llanatura presents a lovely installation featuring a new blanket hand felted using Mallorcan alpaca, neighbouring Menorcan artist, Andrea Sender, uses wool almost as a form of painting, London-based Maria Sigma, who makes complex handwoven wall pieces and interior objects with a ‘zero waste’ approach and Be Grims, a young fashion designer based in Athens designing one of a kind clothing hand-woven by a women’s cooperative in the Cyclades.