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 historic details create a special tranquility and sense of timelessness.
The place not only holds architectural history but also a personal story. The owner, Lars Seier Christensen, has had a connection to the area for several decades and has returned 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 a careful development, working to refine and strengthen the special character of the place. New furniture, art, plants, and materials are added with respect for the original architecture, so that the whole is preserved and at the same time evolves.
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 grow further 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 that the paintings are experienced as a natural part of the room's rhythm.
The work has been a balance between adding something new and at the same time 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 whole that feels both tranquil, lively, and rooted in its surroundings.
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Hotel La Fonda Benalmádena, Spain.
Murals on the sundeck. Small details emerging from behind the plant, which can be enjoyed while sitting high up on the mountain and looking out at the sea.
The hotel has a beautiful atrium courtyard with a swimming pool, where you can sit in the shade and enjoy a drink. Murals have been painted in the hallways where guests sit.
The hotel has also had art painted in the rooms, where the columns feature floral motifs. The hotel rooms are beautifully decorated in light beige tones, and the art has added a touch of poetry.
The hotel bar has also had art added to its white walls.
Murals at the hotel by artist Rikke Darling