Exclusive Interview with International artist, Vivian Borsani
On a warm spring day here in Mallorca, we headed over to International Artist Vivian Borsani’s Art Studio in Santa Catalina to chat to her all things creative on the island of Mallorca whilst learning more about her exciting happenings and time spent in Mallorca.
Vivian’s warm and welcoming nature makes us feel at home straight away as we head up to the top floor of the studio to chat.
Vivian who is of French nationality and moved to Mallorca at the age of 17 when her parents moved here. She is the prime example of an international resident, something which is very common here on the island. “One part of me feels like I am German, from my childhood and then my teenage self is French. Having lived in Mallorca for 25 years, I also consider myself a little Spanish too.”
We talked about Vivian’s lifelong connection to the island, due to her parents having a holiday home here, she was frequently visiting for holidays from the age of 13. “I came here as a child, spent all my holidays here and when I was 17 my parents moved here. Since I was 13 years old Mallorca has already felt like home to me. It has never been a question what brought me here, it always felt like home.”
So, what kept Vivian in Mallorca?
Being such an international woman and extremely well-travelled, we were interested to find out what kept Vivian in Mallorca and why. The answer was evidently simple... Art.
In 1995/1996, property in Mallorca had started to become increasingly popular, Vivian at this time was in France with her children aged 2 and 3. Having noticed the art movement in Mallorca she decided to make the move with her children and her paintings. Vivian was based in Port Andratx to begin with, 10 of her paintings were showcased in a gallery, all of which sold within three weeks!
“I began selling my artwork at galleries before realising that I would be better to try and sell my artwork myself. I started going into restaurants interior shops, hotels and even my local medical centre asking if they would put my paintings on the walls whilst offering them a commission if they sold it. It is so widely done now, but I think I was one of the first people to do it. At one stage, everyone had my paintings on the walls!
My career took off in Mallorca at an early stage, it was exciting, and I loved every minute of it. Everybody had my paintings on their walls, luxury villas, restaurants, shops, studios, you name it.”
Not only did Vivian set up her career in Mallorca, but she also settled with her husband here and her two children went to international schools whilst being brought up in Calvia, an area on the Southwest coast.
“I knew people here; it was already home for me. The weather, the freedom and the lifestyle, it is one of the most special places I have ever been in my entire life. I had my children here, my mother was here, this is where I built my life.”
Art Culture in Mallorca
We were happy to hear from Vivian as an artist herself that the island offers a wealth of opportunities for creatives. Last year an official Academy of Arts opened and with Mallorca's wealth and richness, there is a lot of support for creatives. Not only that, the island has a lot happening with film production companies, cinema directors and music producers and a wealth of Art Galleries and museums to be explored. The city of Palma offers great theatre and opera productions as well as variety shows and immersive experiences.
“When I arrived here in Mallorca, there was nothing, a lot has happened in the last 10-15 years.”
Our personal favourite thing to see in Vivian’s art studio are the clothes that Vivian has started designing and printing her artwork onto. The fabrics are all eco-friendly, either organic materials or recycled plastic bottles.
“I really wanted to reproduce what I paint, but not be preoccupied with the repetition. But now with all the digital recourses they just do it for me, and we can manipulate the prints. You can really reproduce a painting on fabric and that’s really nice.”
In one of our most recent Video Tours at our Exclusive Listing in Old Bendinat, a kimono designed and created by Vivian is worn, which can also be found on her online shop.
We are delighted to be working together in collaboration with such an inspirational woman.
You can watch the video here: Inside a 8.900.000€ Award Winning Villa in Old Bendinat - Mallorca 2023