photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Kate Langrish Smith / GBR

‘I arrived at Joya: AiR excited by the prospect and luxury of spending two weeks immersed in a rural landscape, with other artists who would be living, exploring and experiencing this alongside me. I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the countryside of the Sierra Maria as we drove to the Cortijada surrounded by magnificent mountains, almond trees and the parched white terrain. 

This parched white terrain was, as Simon informed me, mainly clay based  - and would form the focus of my creative exploration over my stay through collecting, processing, experimenting and then forming into vessels, inspired by the artefacts in Donna and Simons home and the surrounding materials. 

Joya: AiR enabled me to connect with the landscape and its ecology, the other residents, to share interests, creative practices and passions. This is supported by the vision, energy, care and nourishment that Simon and Donna create as part of an embodied expanded creative practice and home - exploring, learning, understanding and responding to the landscape and their place in it, and through compassionately sharing this space and knowledge, and encouraging and allowing others to explore and respond in their own unique way. A truly inspiring, energising and nourishing experience. 

I look forward to being able to return one year to collect and play with more clay and other local materials and possibly even fire work in the kiln’! 

Kate Langrish - Smith

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Klara Kusa / SVK

‘When I came back to Slovakia, the first thing that hit me was the vivid green colour of the landscape. The landscape in Spain is much different from what I am used to in Slovakia. Therefore, I observed the country and walked across the desert. I found a book on anthropocene in Simon’s library and was inspired by Timothy Morton’s thoughts. The idea of hyperobjects suddenly started to make sense to me. 

For one week, Joya: AiR became my home and I used it to regenerate, contemplate and create art. I collected various objects found in the desert and juxtaposed them in my studio, creating coal drawings from the found remains after the fires. Coming from central Europe, I have become much more aware of how climate change affects us and what are the consequences of our inability to live sustainably. I would like to thank Donna and Simon for their hospitality, and great meals (I learned a lot about British and Spanish cuisine). Moreover, I was inspired by the architecture of the whole house filled with inspiration and simply magic’!

Klara Kusa

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Suzanne Gainer / USA

‘Joya gave me the space to make art among like-minded creatives, commune with nature, eat delicious home-cooked meals, play, and evolve. I was fortunate to have had several weeks to devote to my practice and in this time, my work was transformed. I learned to simplify. I began to let go of external expectations and enjoy the process of making. Talented artists, writers, and musicians came and went, each an inspiration and a new friend.

It was a privilege to have had this experience. Simon and Donna have created a truly exceptional space. Joya is a work of art’.

Suzanne Gainer

Suzanne Gainer is an artist and a Professor of digital media art at Worcester State University in Worcester, MA. She holds an MFA in Photography from Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, RI and a BA in Communication from Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.

Her exhibition record includes local, national, and international venues. Works from her project ‘Visible/Indivisible’ were shown at the Barcelona Foto Biennale where she received a Pollox Award in the Digital Photography Manipulation & Collage category. Other solo shows include ‘Flora’ at Gallery Seven in Maynard, MA, ‘Wonder’ at the Acton Memorial Library in Acton, MA and ‘Memories Wake’ at the Red Eye Gallery in Providence, RI.

Other notable venues include the Charles Playhouse (Boston MA) where she was awarded the grand prize at ‘Vortex: A Juried Exhibition by the Blue Man Group', the Limner Gallery (New York, NY), the South Shore Art Center (Cohasset MA), Worcester Center for Crafts (Worcester MA), the Katherine Shultz Gallery (Cambridge MA), the Nash Gallery (Minneapolis MN), Arlington Center for the Arts (Arlington MA), The Print Center (Philadelphia PA), and the Sol Koffler Gallery (Providence RI). Her video works have been screened at a number of festivals including the ‘New England Film & Video Festival’ at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Talia Stone / NED

‘An ant walks near my feet, stops at the little chunk of muesli I dropped and picks it up. The grain is twice her size, and she stumbles on her hind legs while waddling over the cool concrete. I follow her nearing a hole in the wall, where her fellow ants help her carry her prize inside. I take another bite of my breakfast and sip my green tea. The leaves of the olive tree above me crackle in tune with the tingling sound of the light metal strings hanging in the door to keep the flies out. The buzzing bees and a melodic bird add to my little morning orchestra. As I write this in my journal, I can’t wait to start another day here at Joya: AIR.

The peaceful household, surrounded by endless trails for exploring, mountain views and blue skies, are a fantastic framework for days of writing. My senses are wide open, my brain feels soft -but in a good way, while I work effortlessly.

Sometimes one of the other residents glides by, and we chat or decide to go for a walk together. Or they pull me inside their studio for a second opinion. We share stories, ideas and jokes in the evenings while enjoying Donna’s delicious meals. Spending your days like this is such a luxury, and I wish it could last forever.

I’ve grown as a writer here; I can’t explain it.

But it’s interesting to notice that the serenity of the environment has crept into my stories. I wrote this one sentence about two characters who are fishing together. When I read it later, I laughed out loud and thought: That’s me!

Here is the sentence: ‘They enjoy the stillness, defying the fast-paced life around them.’

If my book ever comes out, I might have to name Joya AiR as co-writer’.

Talia Stone

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AIR / Helen Benedict / USA

‘I arrived at Joya: AIR with the beginning of a new novel but little idea of where it was going. Tentatively titled, Glorious Sin, it’s about memory, aging, love and betrayal. In the past, it takes place in 1940s New York and 1950s London, opening during the Great Smog of 1952. In the present, it takes place during the pandemic when the protagonist is swinging in and out of dementia at the age of 97. By the time I left Joya: AiR, I had ten chapters written and a plan.

All in all, Joya gave me some of the best writing time, inspiration, peace and nourishment (visual and literal), I could ever have asked for. Met wonderful, kind, inspiring people, saw and heard wildly beautiful birds every day. The landscape of white and sage, pink and forest green, red poppies and bold blue sky have all seeped into my work. Donna and Simon, thank you’.

Helen Benedict

Helen Benedict, professor of journalism at Columbia University, is the author of eight novels, including the forthcoming The Good Deed, about refugees in Greece, and two novels about the aftermath of war on women, Wolf Season and Sand Queen, the latter named a “Best Contemporary War Novel” by Publishers Weekly and reviewed by The Boston Globe as “The Things They Carried for women.’” A recipient of the 2021 PEN Jean Stein Grant for Literary Oral History, the Ida B. Wells Award for Bravery in Journalism and the James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism for her exposure of sexual predation in the military, Benedict is also the author of six works of nonfiction, most recently the award-winning, Map of Hope and Sorrow: The Stories of Refugees Trapped in Greece, co-authored with Syrian writer and refugee, Eyad Awwadawnan. She is also the author of The Lonely Soldier: The Private War of Women at War Serving in Iraq, and a widely-performed play, The Lonely Soldier Monologues. Her writings inspired a class action suit against the Pentagon on behalf of those sexually assaulted in the military and the 2012 Oscar-nominated documentary, The Invisible War. She also authored Virgin or Vamp: How the Press Covers Sex Crimes, the first book to examine the effects of racism and sexism on how rape is seen by the press, the public and the law.

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Lettie Neame / GBR

‘My time at Joya: AiR was such a unique and wonderful experience. Before arriving, I had no idea what to expect, but was shocked by the overwhelmingly beautiful and serene surroundings. It was a great way to connect with other artists and nature to take a step back from the outside world.

What makes Joya AiR so special is its centrality around sustainability and giving back to the environment. Everything here is circular and makes you realise how easy it is to incorporate into your daily life. One is free to go about their day as they please making the experience totally theirs, and in the evening everyone gathers to share delicious food and each others individual experiences and journeys. Donna and Simon create such a relaxed and warming environment that helps you to slow down and embrace this moment in time.

The beautiful views and surroundings were enough to make me feel inspired in my painting practice, but what was really encouraging was the constant support everyone gives one another. This was a great way to pause and reflect on my art practice before going into my last year at Edinburgh college of art, and I have left full of ideas and excitement for my practice. I really had such a great time and will definitely be back, thank you Donna and Simon for your incredible hospitality and this opportunity. I can’t recommend it enough.

I am an undergraduate student at the University of Edinburgh studying MA Fine Art. It is a 5 year course where I study both History of Art and Painting. I have just finished my fourth year and have one year left’.

Lettie Neame

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Paula Bosco / ARG

“My time at Joya: AiR has been a unique opportunity to engage in my creative practice in a new environment without the usual distractions and demands of daily life as well as connecting with talented and beautiful humans with whom I exchanged experiences and enjoyed delicious food.

Joya’s location in the stunning Andalusian countryside provided me with a breathtaking backdrop for my practice. With its ethos centred on sustainability, it was just the perfect place for me to continue addressing the impact that the art industry has on the environment within my own practice. As an artist that embraces moving away from exploitative and extractive relationships with nature, and prioritises connection, slower living and mindful action, I felt more connected than ever even though we’re completely off-grid. I was also able to see my work with fresh eyes and gained new insights into my creative process which has helped push myself to new levels of creativity and self-discovery.

Surrendering to the astonishingly beautiful landscape and letting the sublime simplicity of life being the protagonists, generated a fertile environment for observation and focused work. I spent time soaking up the peace and beauty of this incredible place, allowing myself the time for grounding, exploring, creating. Just observing and simply being in deep communion with Mother Earth. 

Thank you Simon and Donna for being such warm and loving beings. I felt at home”.

Paula Bosco

Paula Bosco was born in Córdoba, Argentina. Her career began as a Fashion Designer, fashion being the industry within which she developed a fascination for textiles and honed her screen printing, hand embroidery and textile manipulation techniques used in her current creative practice.

In 2017 she specialised in Textile Design at Central Saint Martins School, University of the Arts London. Throughout the years, her artistic practice has evolved alongside her personal spiritual journey, and transitioned from working mainly digitally as a print designer to a continuous exploration of a wide range of textile manipulation, dyeing techniques, natural materials and anything that allows her to connect with slower living and mindful action.

photo Suzanne Gainer

Joya: AiR / Oriana Confente / CAN

“I came to Joya to harmonize my practice, seeking sustainable alternatives to traditional (often toxic) photographic methods. While in residency, I tested forms of plant-based film development. Some techniques worked, and others didn’t, but I felt fortunate to have space to play with new processes without the pressure of deliverables. Equipped with a darkroom studio and free to roam around the expansive land surrounding the home, it was a joy to take my time exploring and learning about the prickly plants growing in the area. 

My project became about impressions: What impression was I leaving on this place? What impression was this place leaving on me? The physical impression of activated plants on a photographic emulsion, and the abstract impression left by their silhouettes. 

I left Joya relaxed, invigorated, serene, excited, and well-fed. 

Thank you, Simon and Donna, for this incredible, enriching experience”!

Oriana Confente

Oriana Confente is a writer, photographer, and maker-of-things. They completed a Master of Arts in Rhetoric and Communication Design at the University of Waterloo (Canada) in 2020, where they began developing research-creation projects through experimental media. Their practice continues to be research-based and explores concepts connected to posthumanism(ish) and sustainability.

Confente is currently based in Montréal, where they have exhibited multimedia works. Their writing and creative projects have been published in Feral Feminisms, The Digital Review, Batshit Times, and more.

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Oriele Steiner / GBR

“My experience at Joya: AiR was truly unforgettable. It was a much-needed escape that allowed me to fully embrace my artistic freedom and explore without any limitations. One of the highlights was working with the clay from the landscape, which led me to create my first sculptures. It was a liberating experience to shape and mold the clay into tangible works of art.

I also found solace in the stillness of nature, which was a stark contrast to the busy streets of London. I would spend hours walking, taking in the serenity and tranquility of the mountains. Being surrounded by such breathtaking scenery and a supportive community of talented artists was incredibly inspiring. It encouraged me to push the boundaries of my practice and explore new artistic directions.

Donna and Simon, the hosts of Joya: AiR, were warm and welcoming. They not only shared their artistic processes and journey with us, but also treated us to some of the most delicious food I've ever tasted! Their generosity and hospitality added to the overall experience and made it even more special.

The residency allowed me to experiment with new materials and techniques, which refreshed my artistic practice. I feel invigorated and motivated to incorporate the new ideas and inspiration I gained from Joya: AiR into my current work. It's exciting to think about how my art will evolve as a result of this enriching experience”.

Oriele Steiner

Oriele Steiner is a painter based in London, UK. She received her BFA from the University of Brighton and completed the Turps Banana Correspondence Course in 2022. After graduating, Oriele was chosen to part of Bloomberg New Contemporaries and then rewarded a residency with them in Liverpool.

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AIR / Justin Carter / GBR

“Staying at Joya: AiR was a fantastic experience which gave me the opportunity to explore the local environment and to learn more about the landscape, agriculture and hydrology. The accommodation and studios are the perfect base-camp to work from, and the steady stream of artists and writers creates a supportive and nurturing situation to make work in and to refresh your ideas and thinking. All of this is made possible by the amazing hosts Donna and Simon who are there quietly supporting and facilitating the resident artists and sharing their amazing experience of setting up Joya. The magic glue that keeps everything together is the wonderful food cooked up each evening – a healthy mix of tasty delights prepared with skill and affection from local ingredients.

Whilst staying at Joya, I found myself writing and painting, as well as exploring more familiar methodologies of intervention in the landscape. Most of the work was quite provisional and exploratory in nature, but I did manage to make two versions of a work called ‘Mirage’. This site-specific intervention was installed along a dried-up gorge which suffers severe drought followed by flash flooding, causing massive erosion in the landscape. The project involved carefully harvesting microplastics from the local area to make small blue 'colour fields', (suggesting water) just beneath the dried-up river bed.

The process of collecting and photographing the plastic material aimed to accelerate the normal process by which this harmful microplastic material (a waste product from the surrounding agriculture) will inevitably enter the soil and water table, eventually ending up in the sea. In this instance, the plastic material was safely removed after the images were taken, preventing any harmful impact. The work is supposed to lure and then shock the viewer, acting as an environmental warning about the dangers of microplastics in the ecosystem”.

Justin Carter

Justin Carter is an artist based in Glasgow. Recent exhibitions include: The Howse Shal Be Preserved at Rockingham Castle (2021), Practicing Landscape: Land, Histories and Transformation at The Lighthouse, Glasgow (2020) and Blood From Stone at Fineshade Wood, Northamptonshire (2019). Last year his work was included in Dark Mountain Project publication (issue 21) which focussed on the theme of confluence. He has exhibited throughout the UK as well as in Europe, Japan, China, Australia and the United States. He is a Reader in Contemporary Practice; Art & Environment at Glasgow School of Art, and works in the Sculpture and Environmental Art Department, based in the School of Fine Art.

“My work is an attempt to understand the natural environment we are part of. How do we sense it and make sense of it? The resulting artworks are an attempt to make this connection tangible. Looming environmental concerns have caused me to engage with active elements within the landscape exploring the extent to which the artist can move towards a non-human perspective”. 

photo Justin Carter

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Ima Montoya / ESP

“I enjoyed my experience in “La Joya” where I opened many doors that time and memory had closed”

"La Joya"n izandako esperientziaz gozatu dot. Denboraren poderioz oroimenak ahaztutako hainbat ate zabaldu dira bertan.

He disfrutado my experiencia en “La Joya” donde he abierto muchas puertas que el tiempo y el olvido había borrado”.

Ima Montoya

Ima Montoya was born in Bilbao where she studied Fine Art at the University of the Basque country graduating in 1986. After graduating she moved to Madrid but has since lived and worked in Japan, Russia, UK, Hungary and Mexico. In 2021 she moved to Barcelona where she currently lives and works.

Her latest projects have related to The Mediterranean, specifically North Africa recently exhibiting in Tripoli. She is currently working towards an exhibition in the Instituto Cervantes in Tunisia.

She has previously exhibited at Museums, Art Fairs, Art Centres and galleries in Europe, America and Asia such as The London Art Biennale, Venice Arte Laguna, Zona Maco Mexico, New Port Art Museum (USA), PINTA New York, Moscow Museum of Modern Art. Moscow Winzavod Center, Museo de Asia in La Habana, London Royal College of Art, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, EU Berlaymont Headquarters in Brussels, Imago Mundi Benetton Collection, Instituto Cervantes Centers in Moscow, Budapest, Bucharest, Brasilia, Sao Paulo.

www.imamontoya.com

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Taïs Bean / FRA

I came to Joya: AiR for the third time. There is a reason why this place and its people keep calling me back.  My mother always used to tell me “You have to have your head in the stars and your feet in the mud.” It takes hard work and realism, as well as optimism, generosity, courage and daring vision to be able to create a place like Joya. I find that these qualities make the spirit of this place, embraced by the vastness, beauty and peace of its magnificent natural environment. 

Spending time at Joya has, each time, been a beautiful human experience, a grounding remembering of the value of things I tend to take for granted, such as water, soil, fire, energy, and a tangible experience of human impact on nature.  

It is both sobering to witness the human led ecological crisis so clearly shaping this landscape, and it is equally inspiring to see Simon and Dona moving forward with visionary solutions while deeply listening to the land and culture they are interacting with. My time at Joya has always enriched my ecological understanding, in a way that is not disparaging, but rather inspiring and motivating.

I find that this setting makes for a space of focus and commitment to my practice, and a vast openness to dreaming and inspiration. Each time I’ve come to Joya, I have left realising that my practice was impacted in ways I couldn’t have anticipated. 

It pushes me to experiment, reflect, be present to my work, my senses and my vision in uniquely peaceful and rich ways. It promotes inspirational exchange with talented people with various practices and backgrounds. I always leave with a nurtured heart. 

I thought I would be working on my writing, and instead I ended up discovering that my black and white line drawing needed to move towards painting, and even find its way out of the paper on rocks, wood... and I was reminded of the importance of the materials I choose. For a long timeI didn’t dare to explore new materials with drawing, and now I feel inspired by a field of possibilities as vast as the horizon surrounding the Joya residency.

Taïs Bean

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Lindsey Creel Cherry / USA

‘I arrived at Joya: AiR with the expectation to spend the week away from my daily tasks being productive in the output of my art practice. I knew the setting of Joya would be beautiful but I was completely taken by the picturesque landscape and the true quiet of the location. I spent my short time at Joya exploring, researching, collecting reference photos, and working through more experimental drawings. I highly recommend going for more than a week if you are able.

The outcomes of my dedicated work time at Joya were only a portion of what I’ve brought home with me. Getting a world away from the everyday grind allowed me to detox from the product driven cycles I’ve been swimming in. Spending time over meals, hiking, and chatting by the wood fireplace with other artists in residence is something I didn’t know I needed. I felt cleansed by my time there. The atmosphere Simon and Donna have created is difficult to describe. Joya is a magical place that I hope to visit again soon’.

Lindsey Creel Cherry

Lindsey Creel Cherry is an SFASU Art Professor (drawing) and visual artist currently living in Garrison, Tx. She has an M.F.A. in Studio Arts from Stephen F. Austin State University (2021) and a B.F.A. in fashion from the Savannah College of Art and Design (2009). Creel considers art and design two branches of the same tree and does not discriminate when it comes to art media. She has a background in patternmaking and drafting in the apparel industry, and was featured on Season 14 of Lifetime TV’s “Project Runway.” Creel's drawings are inspired by her connection to working in nature in East Texas.

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Emma van Meyeren / NDL

‘I came to Joya: AiR to delve deeper into my first work of fiction. Responding to the 1986 novel Mystiek lichaam by Frans Kellendonk I am interested in the embodied experiences of queer people in the Netherlands during the 80s. Arriving for a stopover in Granada first, I was pleasantly surprised to walk into several processions. Catholic excess is a big theme in Kellendonks work so it was interesting to see some rituals I had not experienced since childhood. Later, in the quiet surroundings of Joya, I found the peace to combine walks through the hills with contemplation on the lives I am trying to convey in my novella’.

Emma van Meyeren

Emma van Meyeren’s background is in Literary Studies, completing a BA at Utrecht University and an MA at the University of Amsterdam. She has published extensively in Dutch magazines and websites such as vice.com, De Groene Amsterdammer and the Dutch Review of Books. This year her work was awarded with the Prijs voor de Jonge Kunstkritiek (prize for young art criticism). She published her first book in 2020 with the Feminist Press Chaos, it was titled 'Ook ik ben stukgewaaid' and contained essays about grief and its rituals. She continues to work on this topic with the Read My World festival, where she organizes and teaches diary writing workshops on various feminist subjects.

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Anna Franke / DEU

‘During the time at Joya AiR I moved my studio outside, into the gorge of the dry riverbed. I hiked for 2 hours every day with a full backpack and looked for a place to paint. The fallen giant pine trees, the clay soil in different colour nuances, the many structures in wood and rocks inspired me to trace the rhythm of dryness and watercourses, the movement, the cycle of life and transience, and to transfer this energy to my art.  I worked experimentally: I wrapped raw, unstretched canvas in the branches of the fallen tree trunks to bring movement into the material. I mixed the colours with clay, eggs, black ink and spices and let them run into the folds or sprayed over them. Action painting in nature. I rubbed the structures in the wood and on the stones onto the fabric using frottage techniques.  I sewed found things such as fox bones and small branches and snail shells onto the abstract paintings. 

I am interested in the physical and energetic connection of myself and my art with the earth. 

A very intense experience in this unique landscape and a reconnection with myself and nature. All framed by wonderful encounters with other artists, delicious healthy food and cosy evenings in front of the fireplace ...’

Anna Franke
Illustration + Konzeption

www.annafranke.com

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Amy Corcoran / UK

‘I arrived at Joya: AiR with a number of half-formed ideas but very much open to discovery and new directions. I drew inspiration from the incredible scenery Joya is nestled within. Despite a number of uncharacteristically cold and cloudy days at the start of my residency, I found myself compelled to explore this wild landscape, which is so different to home: golden birdsong and bright clay, seas of conifers and rainbows of stone, the delicate aroma of newly unfurled almond blossom, and the twinkle of snow-capped mountains in the distance. Everywhere the signs of spring arriving, made more glorious by the sun's own arrival in my second week.

Days spent exploring - down into the barrancos and up the mountainsides - were both soothing and invigorating. What emerged was a desire to capture something of the essence of this unique place and my experience of it. I returned to my creative 'first loves' to do so - text, pencil, paint - which felt wonderful. Additionally, I recorded sound, took photographs, and experimented with pinhole cameras and non-toxic developing processes. I also played with other image making techniques, including cyanotypes, and with turning the studio into a camera obscura.

I am so grateful to Donna and Simon for the welcome and care they provided, for the wonderful dinners with nourishing food and great conversation, and for the opportunity to have both time and space to explore, experiment and create. It was a real privilege and joy to spend two weeks at Joya, and I have no doubt the residency will have a profound impact on my practice for a long time to come. 

Also, big shout out to the animals, especially Nippy’.

Amy Corcoran

Amy Corcoran is an artist, writer and researcher whose practice oscillates around human rights and ecology, and incorporates film, photography, sound and installation. Amy employs these mediums to produce intimate spaces for reflection and embodied sensory experiences. This forms a more fundamental exploration into catalysing other modes of knowing through creative practices. In the contemporary climate, she understands art to hold power when it opens up empathetic spaces, including those that move beyond the human.

www.amycorcoran.xyz

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Aileen Harvey / UK

‘Being at Joya: AiR exceeded any attempt I had made to imagine the landscape. The almond trees were coming into bloom as I arrived (from grey London rain), pink and white against the bluest sky. To wake up early with the sun rising over the ridge, birds outside my window, felt like a gift. It was not only the beauty but the time, away from everyday responsibilities and distractions. Each day at the cortijada held only what it needed to: quiet, good company, sunshine, and a sweet slow pace with room to dream, explore, and absorb. At Joya, Simon and Donna have created a place that nourishes creative work, artistic community and a thoughtful integration with the environment.

I fell into a rhythm that alternated time outside and studio making. Focused work in solitude was interwoven with, and sustained by, many conversations. The other residents were a delight that I hadn't counted on, but those exchanges – of support, ideas, jokes – became constitutive of the residency, of work as well as relaxation afterwards: watching the sun set, Donna's delicious dinners, chatting by the fire.

For the first few days it made sense for me to be receptive rather than productive. I drew outside at a spot above the dry riverbed, I took photographs, and I filled my studio shelves with a pale spectrum of earth colours, plant matter for ink, and strange or weathered objects. After a while I began to make work with the inks and pigments, branching from familiar methods into new contexts and techniques, changing scales. A giant process-led drawing was followed by small, exploratory paintings on old wood; both approaches were experiments, with materials and in how I develop imagery. They generated an unexpected redirection towards the human figure: albeit humans mingled with landscape, as memories, stories and hybrids, layered in.

It feels as if being at Joya: AiR has brought about something hard to measure but significant within my practice: a set of small shifts, connections and openings, the effects of which will continue to unfold.

¡Muchas gracías, Donna and Simon, for this place that is so difficult to leave!

Aileen Harvey

Aileen studied philosophy at Edinburgh (MA 1998) and Cambridge (MPhil 2000), and worked in academic book publishing (Routledge 2002–2016). Later she studied sculpture at Wimbledon College of Art (BA 2008), taught on a foundation (LMU 2011) and was a studio assistant (Susan Collis 2007–2013).

Solo exhibitions include: Blind Alley Projects, USA (2022); One to Ten Gallery, Hastings (2022); and An Lanntair, Stornoway (2011). Group exhibitions include: Bruton Museum, Somerset (2021); La Ruine, Geneva (2020); Yorkshire Artspace, Sheffield (2018); Standpoint Gallery, London (2016); Leach Pottery, St Ives (2015); Airspace Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent (2014); Customs House Gallery, Sunderland (2013); Karussell, Zürich (2013); and The Photographers' Gallery, London (2009).

Aileen presents her research at academic conferences, and her essays on photography, drawing and walking have been included in books (Northern Light 2018; Proximity and Distance 2020; Disturbed Ecologies, 2023) and a journal (NANO 2014). She published a photobook: An Absent Portrait: Emmanuel Cooper (2013). Her artwork has been written about by Bridget Sheridan in Walking and the Aesthetics of Modernity (2016) and Laura Davidson in Doggerland (2016).

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Sanne Bjerg / DEN

"I came to Joya Air with the main purpose of stepping out of my familiar surroundings in order to get a clearer view on the two manuscripts I am working on at the moment. This worked very well - coming to clarity about how I believe I can weave the two texts together to a more interestingly convoluted collage of sorts.

But on top of that the hours of walking, running, climbing, hunting and gathering rocks, bones and other stuff in the barranco, also turned out to be very inspiring for my work with collage in both paper and 3D. This resulted, among other things, in a totem site that proved itself as a powerful spot for a full moon ritual, inspired in part by Basque rituals that Ima Montoya generously shared....;-)

Habitually a loner I had planned on spending my 4 weeks at Joya Air more or less in isolation, but to my great surprise the socialising with the other (changing) residents turned out to be a great inspiration - and a lot of fun ;-). Friends were made!  Sharing art and thoughts was a thrill - not to mention the fact that I quite unexpectedly got myself initiated to Instagram through a joint effort of teaching from everyone!

Last but not least the caretaking, cooking and companionship of Donna and Simon made my stay so smooth, pleasant and joyful that I can hardly wait to come back.

Their place is so full of beauty, nature, quietness and the constant calming presence of the mountains. From my studio I watched the almond tree outside my window turn from brownish grey to fully blossoming pink during my stay, making the slow passing of time viscerally present in a way that was very nurturing for my work as well as my mental health ;-). Gracias!"

Sanne Bjerg

sannebjerg.dk

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Karlijn de Lange / NED

"During my one week residency I wanted to emerse myself and my work in nature as much as possible. Upon arrival I let the sun, wind, light and temprature direct the course of my days. Lots of my mornings were spent hiking and biking in the vast nature around Joya: AiR. I took photos and gathered rocks to work with in my studio during the afternoons. The amount of inspiration was overwhelming, which resulted in the start of several different projects simultaniously to further develop at home.

An important part of going to Joya for me was to connect with other artists and to have conversations about each others practice. I was fortunate to enter a warm group in which we were all open to welcome others in our studios. These frequent visits and interactions throughout the week resulted in insightful talks and deep bonding as a group.

After a dark winter in my home country this was a beautiful time to gain new energy for the start of the year. I look back with great joy and gratitude for taking part in this introspective experience."

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Sietske Bosma / NED

‘The week I spent at Joya: AiR turned out to be exactly right. Coming from a darker and colder northern Europe, I felt some relief in the sunlit mountains of Almería. What struck me at first was the silence in the mountains that magnified the sound of birds taking flight. The warm atmosphere Donna and Simon create and the support of all the other residents made an impression on me as well. Experimenting in the given space without a pressure to perform helped me to focus on my creative process and explore new ways of working. This I’ll take further in my practice and I'm very grateful to Joya: AiR for the opportunity.

sietskebosma.com