The Dreamy Art Gallery at Eco-Friendly Azulik Tulum

In Play, Playa del Carmen & Tulum, Stay by Suzanne Koch

If art and paradise are your kind of vacation, Azulik hotel in Tulum is making waves with its new art gallery.

The already eye-catching eco-resort has welcomed IK Lab, a gallery from Tulum-local Santiago Rumney Guggeneheim, the great grandson of art collector and dealer Peggy Guggenheim. Peggy was also the niece of Solomon R. Guggenheim, the man behind museums like Frank Lloyd Wright’s spiraling New York building. 

After suggesting to Azulik’s founder and designer Jorge Eduardo Neira Sterkel, that the hotel should have an art gallery, Santiago’s idea became reality. 

“My history with Tulum is deep-rooted, and this project is very close to my heart,” said Santiago Rumney Guggenheim in a statement. “IK LAB is more than a gallery, it aspires to provide a framework for the world’s finest creative minds to interact with the gallery’s visionary architecture and explore new ways of creation.”

IK Lab provides a unique landscape not commonly associated with art galleries. Cement and locally sourced wood reach to the tops of the trees and winds its way through the tree-branch canopy. Smaller sticks are arranged diagonally, allowing light to stream through its narrow gaps. There is also a variety of windows varying in shapes and sizes. The floor is made up of cement and Bejuco wood, a local vine-like plant.

The first exhibition at IK Lab opened on April 20, 2018. Called Alignments, it was curated by Santiago R. Guggenheim and included works by artists like Tatiana Trouvé. Artur Lescher and Margo Trushina.

For more information, visit: azulik.com

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