Have you ever noticed how most business names tell you exactly what to expect: Bob’s Hardware: nails, hammers, no surprises; Mary’s Bakery: cinnamon rolls and maternal vibes; The Sunset Café: a sunset, a sandwich, and a waiter who knows the best viewpoint?
In the heart of Uvita, tucked between jungle-covered mountains and the vast blue Pacific, you’ll find a gallery with an unusual name: Galería 1084. At first glance, the number sounds mysterious. A secret code, perhaps. A lucky number. An artist’s inside joke. The truth is even better.
The name comes from the geographic coordi-nates of this remarkable corner of Costa Rica—the latitude 10ºN and longitude 84ºW place the Galería exactly where it belongs on the planet. It’s a reminder that every great place exists at a unique point in space and time. And for locals and visitors alike, Galería 1084 has become one of those places.
If you’ve spent any time along the Costa Ballena—Uvita, Dominical, or Ojochal—you begin to suspect creativity is in the air you breathe. Artists sprout like heliconias—painters, sculptors, photographers, jewellers—each one striving to translate a spectacular tropical ambiance into something you can hold. Whether it’s the jungle, the ocean, or it’s just that when you live with this much beauty, not creating something feels almost rude.
Galería 1084 gives those makers (including myself!) a proper stage. The new space is bright without being precious, welcoming without trying too hard. Beautiful art from more than 30 local artists is displayed where it snags your attention, so that one minute you’re lingering over a painting and the next you’re mentally measuring the wall above your sofa. Ask me how I know!
What I love most about the gallery is how it refuses the velvet-rope treatment. There’s no intimidation here—no quiet nods toward exclusivity. Instead, they teach. Classes and workshops fill the calendar with chances for ordinary folks to sit down, get messy, and discover that creativity doesn’t require a beret or a tragic backstory. It just requires a willingness to try.
In fact, some of the best workshop participants are people who begin every sentence with, “I’m not artistic” or “I can’t draw!” Those are usually the folks having the most fun by the end of the day.
Some leave with a new painting tucked under their arm. Some leave with the satisfaction of having made something themselves. Some leave laughing about how their watercolor looks suspiciously like a roadkill iguana. All of those exits are victories.
In many ways, Galería 1084 feels like Costa Ballena distilled: colorful, a little eccentric, and generously inclusive. It gathers people from all directions—the locals, the newcomers, the passing travelers—around a simple shared thing: an appreciation for beauty.
Our new location is in the brand new Uvita Home Design Center, which is also home to the Wooden Hammer furniture store and the Tiles Studio. You will likely see the Galería’s resident interior designer, Nelson Lundberg, harmonizing the businesses and transforming homes together.
The next time you’re running errands in Uvita, heading for the beach, or killing time on a rainy afternoon, pop in. You might find a painting you can’t live without. You might discover you have a knack for something you never tried. Or you might just spend an hour in a sunny room with people making things, and leave feeling a little lighter.
So whether you are building or remodeling a home or business, or are ready to add the finishing artistic touches to your interior spaces with unique art and design, please visit us at the Uvita Home Design Center!
www.galeria1084.com
Nos vemos!
Written by Nate Bright
