sculpting 'silence': jaume plensa simulates serenity at new york's galerie lelong

a tableau of new and recent sculptural works by jaume plensa take shape at new york’s galerie lelong, where a solo exhibition offers a re-configuration of the artist’s unmistakable aesthetic. from now through march 11th, ‘silence’ brings together installation and monumental sculpture alongside the source material of the work — reclaimed wood beams. a cast of seven heads made from salvaged timber are fixed to a series of colossal planks that overlap and intersect to create a compelling composition within the space. 

installation view of ‘silence’ at galerie lelong
image © jaume plensa / courtesy galerie lelong, new york

the large heads presented at galerie lelong have been modeled after individual women plensa encountered in asia, europe, and latin america. treated with an unevenly burnt patina, the figures draw influence from both eastern and western iconography, and speak to the artist’s sensitivity to material and medium. by placing these sculptures on top of the reclaimed architectural elements, plensa underscores his ongoing endeavor to understand the beauty in everyday life, and forges a connection between the historic and the contemporary.

image © jaume plensa / courtesy galerie lelong, new york

the exhibition title ‘silence’ is most strongly manifested in the works on view in the smaller gallery. here, plensa speaks to the idea of ‘silence’ as an ever-shrinking idea in society today, even characterizing the absence of sound as one of his obsessions. ‘in a very noisy world,’ he says, ‘silence should be produced, must be ‘made,’ because it does not exist — an inner silence so that people return to be with themselves.’

this importance of quiet and peace in everyday life is realized through a series of eight bronze heads. these smaller figures embody the proverbial principle ‘hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil’, incorporating hands to cover and conceal their eyes and ears from the ‘noise’ of the outside world.

image © jaume plensa / courtesy galerie lelong, new york

image © jaume plensa / courtesy galerie lelong, new york

image © jaume plensa / courtesy galerie lelong, new york

image © jaume plensa / courtesy galerie lelong, new york

image © jaume plensa / courtesy galerie lelong, new york

image © jaume plensa / courtesy galerie lelong, new york

who are you? — I, 2016
bronze / 14.5 x 8.25 x 6 inches (37 x 21 x 15 cm) / edition of 8
image by fotografia gasull © plensa studio barcelona / courtesy galerie lelong, new york

who are you? — I, 2016
image by fotografia gasull © plensa studio barcelona / courtesy galerie lelong, new york

who are you? — VIII, 2016
bronze / 14.5 x 4.3 x 6.7 inches (37 x 11 x 17 cm) / edition of 8
image by fotografia gasull © plensa studio barcelona / courtesy galerie lelong, new york

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