“The Dragon House” : An Art Center In Valencia, Spain

The House

The GAIA project was born in 2005 from the creativity of sculptor Rhea Marmentini in order to restore a degraded landscape and create a monumental sculpture, The Dragon of the Calderona.  This amazing building took eight years to be built and housed an Art and Nature Investigation Center with an exhibition area and plenty of space for research and experimentation.

Unfortunately, in 2014 a wildfire devastated more than 68 hectares of the surrounding land and people in the area had to be evacuated. The house didn’t suffer damage but has been abandoned since then. You can walk around and admire the different parts of the house but it is sad to feel the abandonment of such a great piece of art.

*EDIT: 2021 The author, Rhea Marmentini contacted me and explained: “We are a Graphic Art Production Centre, and I also have a permanent show of some of my stone sculptures. There is also an artist in residency program that is run by Alex & Akuna.”
We have a funding site for making all this possible and you are all welcome to participate!
https://gofund.me/2bd6d75f

Meet The Artist

Rhea Marmentini is an international stone sculptor from Malaga, Spain. She began her art studies at the prestigious “Secondary School of Art” in Pécs, Hungary. After three years she moved to Paris in search of the man who would later be her mentor, the great sculptor Pierre Székely.  She then begins to hold exhibitions and win various awards in Hungary, France and Spain. Years later she starts working on the Land-Art project in Gilet, near Valencia, Spain. In her own words: “it consisted of healing a mountain damaged by human impact through artistic expression, evoking the organic rhythms of nature.” 

Learn more @ https://www.rheamarmentini.com