What do you know about that bronze statue that shines brightly at the port, conquering the hearts of all the people that walk beside it every day?
That special cool attitude and magnetic “buen rollismo” that feels so strong among the Ibiza residents is the result of many decades living in a society where the hippie philosophy is truly alive: freedom, love, joy, nature, to be unique and also a part of the community. These values are one of the main reasons why people love Ibiza so much and always come back. And, someone had to do something about it.
The sculpture was donated to Ibiza by Ricardo Urgell, the beloved and famous founder of Pacha Group, to honour the hippie movement and its influence on the island back in the beginnings of the ‘60s.
Made by the Catalan sculptor Ció Abellí, it is inspired in a famous photo taken by the photographer Toni Riera, where a young hippie father walks next to his little daughter at the park. Below them, a world map highlights the most significant international hippie concentrations: San Francisco, Amsterdam, Kathmandu, Goa, and Ibiza.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BpKfWKhBwT1/
As a curious fact, the photograph was actually taken at Vondelpark in Amsterdam in the beginnings of the ’70s. However, it emphasizes, even more, this concept of world brotherhood, considering that all the hippies that came to the island at that time were mostly from America and the rest of Europe.
Inaugurated in the summer of 2016, you can find the sculpture in front of the Can Pou Bar at the intersection of Carrer Lluis Tur i Palau and Carrer Guillem de Montgrí, in the harbour area.
And, in case that you have met someone at the street and you want to know more about: if it has long hair, a wide smile, big heart, and soft, cozy long clothes… My friend, you’ve fallen in love with a hippie, and there’s no coming back from it.
Welcome to the island of love!
Featured image: tourism.eivissa.es