At La Almazara in Ronda, artist Ara Starak. Her colossal mural, sweeping across the entire interior ceiling, transforms the space into a fusion of art, architecture, and innovation. © Michelle Chaplow |
|
Ara Starck, Artist
In the rolling countryside of Ronda, where olive groves stretch across hillsides as far as the horizon, tradition meets innovation at La Almazara, a contemporary olive oil mill housed within an impactful work of industrial architecture. It is here that artist Ara Starck has transformed the ceiling of the restaurant with a vast, immersive mural — a dialogue between art, space, and the spirit of creation. Working both independently and alongside her father, the renowned designer Philippe Starck, who designed and co-owns the mill, Ara has infused the space with a powerful visual narrative that bridges generations and disciplines. Her monumental work brings warmth and poetry to the functional heart of the olive mill and museum, merging craftsmanship and modernity in a setting that celebrates the essence of Andalusian culture and the timeless ritual of producing olive oil.
Ara talked to andalucia.com at La Almazara Museum about her enormous mural on the ceiling of the museum's restaurant.
Q. How well did you know Ronda before working on this project?
A. The first time I came to Ronda was when I was invited to create the 900-square-metre mural on the ceiling of La Almanzara. I wanted to understand "What is Ronda?" and "What is here?" and "What is the whole idea?"
I didn't understand much - I just experienced a kind of whirlpool of emotions. It was mainly vibrations, and that's why you read the word passion, because there's something pulsating up and down all the time. I had this extreme feeling of tension and not much else.
I took my brushes and tried to put all these sensations on my canvas with pigments, with all the mediums I normally use. I wanted to try to translate and express the feeling I had when I first arrived in Ronda.
 Ara´s art work floats above the liquid gold |
|
Q. The artwork seems to almost float, above us; was that intentional?
Yes, we have this floating apparition, we don't know if it's a friend, a guardian or one of the souls of this place, floating above this liquid gold (olive oil), this liquid life, surrounded by this arena that is so powerful and so architecturally important in Ronda. At the same time, for me it represented the gates to another imaginary world.
Q. The question that runs through the viewer's mind as they look up at the 30 metre by 30 metre canvas hung horizontally, without a single crease or seam: is it one piece?
A. It's a very complicated structure, but yes, it's in one piece.
About Ara Starck
Born in Paris, France, Ara Starck is a non-conformist, multi-disciplinary storyteller. Inspired by the idea of transcendence, both literally and figuratively, Ara sees her focus on large-scale painting installations as a driving force in her work. The artist's ambition is to create works of encounters. Her work welcomes viewers into a diagonal world where optical distortions and metamorphosis reveal a richness of ghostly movements.
Ara Starck attended the 100 Femmes de Culture event in Paris in October 2025, inspiring others with her bold vision and determination to celebrate creativity, diversity, and the power of women in shaping culture.
