Murals at Hotel La Fonda Benalmádena

I have painted murals at Hotel La Fonda in the Spanish town of Benalmádena.

The hotel is an atmospheric boutique hotel, built into the mountain with distinctive architecture, originally designed by the Canarian artist César Manrique. It is located in the heart of the old town, where narrow streets, white facades, and historical details create a special sense of calm and timelessness.

The place not only holds architectural history but also a personal narrative. The owner, Lars Seier Christensen, has had a connection to the area for several decades, returning again and again. With the acquisition of the hotel, it has become a way to give back to the town that has been the setting for many stays over the years.

Today, the hotel is undergoing careful development, with efforts to refine and strengthen its unique character. New furniture, art, plants, and materials are added with respect for the original architecture, preserving the overall integrity while allowing it to evolve.

The hotel itself is filled with details and spaces that open up in unexpected ways. Light, shadows, courtyards, and levels create an almost organic movement through the place. My botanical murals are created to be part of this whole – interacting with columns, living plants, and the beautiful, traditional Spanish tiles.

The starting point for the works has been a desire to let nature extend into the rooms. The painted forms mirror and extend the organic elements already present in the hotel's architecture and planting, making the boundary between inside and outside more fluid. The colors are harmonized with the warm tones and materials of the place, so the paintings feel like a natural part of the room's rhythm.

The work has been a balance between adding something new and listening to what is already there. A meeting between my own visual world and a place with a strong identity – where the ambition has been to create a cohesive whole that feels both calm, vibrant, and rooted in its surroundings.