Takashi Murakami,
69 Arhats Beneath the Bodhi Tree (2013).
Courtesy of the artist and Blum & Poe
©2013 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights
Reserved

Local art scenes in cities like London and New York have the reputation for going dark in the summer, as the moneyed elite take off for the beach, the countryside, and far-flung destinations like Ibiza and the French Riviera (see Sylvester Stallone Tames Massive Crowd at French Riviera Show Opening). But in recent years some of those vacation spots have developed thriving summer art scenes of their own. As you’re creating your summer itinerary of global art happenings (or simply dreaming about it), here are our top picks for the destinations you don’t want to miss.

1. “New Works by Takashi Murakami,” Ibiza
Blum & Poe is going on the road to present a show of new works by Takashi Murakami (see Takashi Murakami Enters His Skull Period). The exhibition, which will include paintings, sculptures, and film screenings, will take place in four unique spaces on the luscious Spanish island of Ibiza: Art Projects Ibiza, a 3,000 square foot exhibition space, Lune Rouge Ibiza, home of the personal art collection of Cirque du Soleil CEO Guy Laliberte (pictured above), the Ibiza Gran Hotel, the island’s only five-star hotel, and HEART Ibiza, a new restaurant and performance space.
“New Works by Takashi Murakami” will be on display in four Ibiza locations from June 24–September 26, 2015. 

Art Basel in Basel 2014, installation view of the booth of the Approach, London.
Photo: Courtesy of Art Basel.

2. Art Basel, Basel
Despite the smaller space (relative to other fairs these days), the original iteration of the international super-fair is in many ways still more interesting than its Miami and Hong Kong descendants. From the roster of blue-chip galleries to invite-only events like ArtBinder’s annual dinner in the Black Forest, it’s an art world haven that hasn’t yet been totally tainted by an influx of celebrities and corporate branding the way its sister fair in Miami has.
Art Basel will take place in Basel, Switzerland from June 18–21, 2015. 

The Watermill Center’s 21st Annual Summer Benefit.
Photo: Nicholas Hunt/PatrickMcMullan.com

3. The Watermill Center’s 22nd Annual Summer Benefit and Auction, Watermill, New York
The Watermill Center’s annual gala is one of the most spectacular evenings on the New York social calendar, featuring over-the-top installations, performances, and decor, as well as a seated dinner in the middle of the center’s lush, eight-acre site near Southampton (see An Ethereal Evening of Performance at the Watermill Center). This year’s theme is “Circus of Stillness…the power over wild beasts.” We don’t know what it means, but it’s sure to be both fabulous and fabulously well-attended.
The 22nd Annual Watermill Summer Benefit & Auction will take place at the Watermill Center, New York on July 25, 2015 from 6 p.m.–midnight. Tickets start at $500.

Garage Museum of Contemporary Art. Photo: www.garageccc.com.

4. Rirkrit Tiravanija’s “Tomorrow is the Question?” Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, Moscow
The Garage Museum’s new Rem Koolhaas-designed location will be christened by Thai artist Rirkrit Tiravanija’s “Tomorrow is the Question?” (see Dasha Zhukova to Debut Moscow’s Rem Koolhaas-Designed Garage Museum June 12). The show, Tiravanija’s first solo outing in Russia, will feature a variety of participatory activities meant to dissolve the boundaries between art and the audience. And, given Garage founder Dasha Zhukova’s penchant for parties, we’re assuming there will also be a pretty wild opening night shindig.
Rirkrit Tiravanija, “Tomorrow is the Question?” will be on display at the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow, Russia from June 12–August 23, 2015.

Deste Foundation Projectspace Slaughterhouse on Hydra.
Photo via Deste Foundation website © Hugo Gledinning

5. “Paul Chan: Hippias Minor,” DESTE Foundation Projectspace Slaughterhouse, Hydra
Established by collector Dakis Joannou, on the chic Greek island of Hydra, the DESTE Foundation Projectspace Slaughterhouse hosts a site-specific installation by a contemporary artist each summer. This year, the space will showcase a two-part exhibition by 2014 Hugo Boss prize winner Paul Chan (see Paul Chan Wins Hugo Boss Prize). The first part is comprised of three large, outdoor works inspired by Plato’s Hippias Minor (“on lying”)—one of Plato’s earlier works which shows Socrates in dialogue with a sophist over whether it’s better to do wrong willingly or ignorantly—while the second part is the publication of Hippias Minor or The Art of Cunning, a new translation of the dialogue by translator Sarah Ruden. The book is co-published by the DESTE Foundation and Chan’s acclaimed press, Badlands Unlimited. Joannou also holds an annual yacht party on the island, attended by a slew of celebrities, collectors, and power-dealers (see Dakis Joannou’s Annual Fete Draws Boldface Names to Greece). Needless to say, the big-name bash is invite only.
“Paul Chan: Hippias Minor” will be on display at the DESTE Foundation Projectspace Slaughterhouse in Hydra, Greece from June 14–August 30, 2015.

Silencio à la Maison de l’Aiguebrun.
Photo via Facebook.

6. Silencio x Maison de l’Aiguebrun, Bonnieux
David Lynch’s storied members-only club Silencio is opening a summer pop-up location at the 19th century mansion Maison de l’Aiguebrun, in the town of Bonneiux in the Luberon region in the South of France. The property once belonged to film director Agnes Varda and is now owned by her daughter, Rosalie Varda-Demy. The quarters, which are available for rent by club members, include 15 guest rooms, a restaurant, and a roster of concerts, DJ sets, and outdoor film screenings. In July, Varda herself will team up with JR to produce a film installation on the property.
Silencio x Maison de l’Aiguebrun takes place at Maison de l’Aiguebrun in Bonnieux, France from May 14–September 20, 2015. Members only.

ART-O-RAMA, Marseille, International Fair
of Contemporary Art. Photo: via Tumblr.

7. Art-O-Rama, Marseille
If you somehow manage to score a stay at Maison de l’Aiguebrun, you might as well pop over to Art-O-Rama, Marseille’s contemporary art fair. Started in 2007, Art-O-Rama is the only art fair in the South of France, and it encourages exhibitors to think of their booths like curated exhibitions. Participating galleries are selected based on an idea for a site-specific project housed inside an artist-designed display module rather than a traditional booth. With a small roster of galleries from Paris, Seoul, Brussels, and elsewhere, the intimate fair is sure to be a departure from the traditional sprawl.
Art-O-Rama takes place at La Cartonnerie in Marseille, France from August 28–30, 2015. 

Anna Blessman and Peter Saville performance in Stromboli, 2013.
Photo: via the Fiorucci Art Trust website.

8. Fiorucci Art Trust’s Volcano Extravaganza 2015, Stromboli
Nicoletta Fiorucci’s Fiorucci Art Trust is throwing a ten-day festival celebration that will begin with the New Moon and end during the peak of the Delta Aquarids meteor shower. The extravaganza is curated by director Milovan Farronato, and will feature artworks and performances by Kembra Pfahler, Kenneth Anger, Brian Butler, Raphael Hefti, and others. The Vinyl Factory will present a music program, including a “Cosmic Disco dance party under the stars” with DJ Daniele Baldelli. Photographer Giovanni Silva will document the festival, with further film and literature collaborations to be announced.
Volcano Extravaganza 2015 takes place in Stromboli, Italy from July 17–27, 2015.

Installation view of Tomás Saraceno’s On Space Time Foam, (2012). at Hangar Bicocca, Milan.
Photo: Alessandro Coco, courtesy of Fondazione HangarBicocca, Milan.

9. Damián Ortega’s “Casino” at HangarBicocca, Milan
Damián Ortega’s first Italian solo show will boast an assortment of sculptures, installations, performances, and films, including his acclaimed Beetle Trilogy, which features a dismantled Volkswagen Beetle hanging from the rafters. The artist is known for his use of quotidian and recycled materials, and for “deconstructed” readymades. The exhibition’s opening night will include a performance of Moby Dick, a tug-of-war between man and machine in which Ortega attempts to control the movements of a car through a series of ropes and pulleys.
Damián Ortega’s “Casino” will be on display at HangarBicocca in Milan, Italy from June 5–September 8, 2015, with an opening celebration on June 4 at 7 p.m.

Installation view of Phil Collins’s Auto-Kino! (2010) at the Temporäre Kunsthalle Berlin. Pictured film: Želimir Žilnik, Inventur – Metzstrasse 11, 1975.
Photo: Jens Ziehe, courtesy of Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York.

10. Phil Collins’s Cinema Sayara at the Riwaq Biennale, Ramallah
Phil Collins (the artist, not the singer) is bringing his 2010 project “Auto Kino“—featuring classic films, cars, and an unapologetic nostalgia for the 1950s—to the fifth annual Riwaq Biennale, which takes place in Ramallah (see Phil Collins Wants You to Make Babies at His Rooftop Drive-In Movies). Collins got help curating the film program from filmmakers, members of the Ramallah Islamic Club, and Hugo Boss Prize winner Emily Jacir.
Cinema Sayara will be on display at the Riwaq Biennale in Ramallah, West Bank from May 19–June 16, 2015.