A
nja Kleener and Katrin Kirk are the founders of The Beehive, one of Mallorca’s most thoughtful and engaging platforms for showcasing artists and creatives on the island. Both Kleener and Kirk are Danish and have been living on the island for over 20-years. Both women are artists in their own right; Kleener is an established abstract painter and collage artists who has exhibited at Sa Tafona Gallery in La Residencia and Rialto Living, among others, while Kirk has shown at the Natalia Benito Gallery in Alaro and has done commissions for high-end hotels.
The two met years ago while living in Alaro, and over coffee one day, along with a 3rd partner, Monica, who has since left the island, they began talking about some of the artists on the island who were inspiring them, many from Alaro and “the idea formed from there,” the pair explain. “Katrin was living in an old shoe factory in Alaro, which was the perfect space to do the shows. It became the brain of the project,” Kleener says. The first pop up took place in May of 2018. At first they did it every weekend and then it was every month, each time with a new concept, new people, but with a focus on artists from Alaro. “We wanted to shine a light on all of the talented creatives and so at first we were called The Alaro Beehive,” says Kleener. That went on for about two-years until Covid shut them down. “But,” Kleener says, “we also needed a break at that point. It was getting intense and neither of us had time for our own projects. It had become an almost full-time job.”
