The Galicia
A 215 meter luxury cruise ferry sailing between Ireland and Spain. Including four restaurants, six lounges, shopping boutiques, children’s play areas, and sundeck with 379 passenger cabins spread over three decks, including premium and deluxe ensuite rooms.
Client: Brittany Ferries
Industry: Cruise Ferry; Hospitality, Marine, Travel
Services: Creative Direction & Full-Service Art Consultancy
Featured artists: Alfredo Palmero, Antonio Azzato, Javier Ortas, Kimberly Poppe, KlunderBie, Mark Van Wagner, Miguel Ángel Craviotto, Nicholas Delacy Brown, Noemi Biro, Ouka Leele, Samuel Domingo, Sargadelos, Xan Padron
No. of artists engaged: 20+
No of artwork commissions: 11
Total no. of artworks delivered: 300+
Brittany Ferries’ cruise ferry Galicia features a unique attraction for its passengers: a contemporary and vibrant art collection celebrating Spanish culture and honouring the ship’s Celtic north-westerly namesake region of Galicia.
KP studio, led by creative director Kimberly Poppe, was commissioned to generate the creative concept, design, curate and source the floating art gallery which includes over 300 especially commissioned paintings, photographs, sculptures, and murals by artists from Galicia and beyond. The collection of contemporary art work invites passengers to delve into the sights, colours, culture, traditions and lifestyle of Spain as they sail, with a focus on the towns, countryside, and coastlines of Galicia. The theme extends to the ship’s décor and to the food and drinks served on board, with authentic Spanish dishes and drinks on the menu in bars and restaurants.
The artwork in the ship’s two main restaurants were created by KlunderBie, the artistic and photographic duo of Nienke Klunder and Wiglius de Bie who regularly collaborate with renowned Spanish designer Jaime Hayon.
The beauty of Galician words are celebrated too, with an exhibition in the ship’s reception area highlighting contemporary Galician female poets in an onboard exhibition.
Galicia’s art collection also pays tribute to the wider artistic heritage of Spain, in particular Diego Velasquez’s 1656 masterpiece ‘Las Meninas’ through modern interpretations of paintings, statues and photography. The enigmatic and complex oil painting depicting Infanta Margarita of Spain and her two maids of honour (Las Meninas), is one of the most analysed works in western art, and one of the most revisited – with a long tradition amongst artists to recreate the composition in their own style.
