David Basantes Vargas is the creator and visionary behind Katarma Hotel — a living work of art built on the island of San Cristóbal in the Galápagos. A longtime resident of the islands, David dedicated years of his life to designing and constructing Katarma with his own hands, using recycled ceramics, locally sourced stone, and salvaged materials to create a building that is inseparable from the art it contains.
Every wall, staircase, courtyard, and pool at Katarma bears the mark of David's artistic vision. Mosaic fish swim across staircases, ceramic sculptures rise from the gardens, and hand-painted murals bring the Galápagos environment indoors. For David, architecture and art are one and the same — a way to transmit space, peace, and the economy of life found in these extraordinary islands.
He considers that the architectural work integrates to art in order to transmit more and better information. His approach is autodidact: observing the natural world with courage and patience, then translating those findings into form, colour, and texture. The result is a hotel that feels less like a building and more like a sculpture you can live inside.
His Work at Katarma
