Jaume Plensa is a seminal Spanish artist internationally-recognized for his depictions of the human face through sculpture and groundbreaking technological methods. Plensa is the focus of a solo exhibition at Gray Warehouse in Chicago called “Nocturne” with the artist presenting a new body of work that touches on inner tranquility.
Across the Gray Warehouse’s spaces, Plensa installs a dynamic range of sculptural portraiture in stone, glass, steel and bronze. A total of nine pieces are on display with the centerpiece of the presentation encompassing a nine-foot-tall basalt sculpture called Minna that portrays a young woman with her eyes closed in a state of repose. “Whether embracing or opposing the intrinsic qualities of his materials, Plensa’s exhibition of sculptural portraits symbolizes the potential for hope to emerge from a place of total darkness,” said the gallery in a statement. “With deep material awareness, Plensa offers the illusion of a weightless form, fabricating and rendering otherwise monumental works into light, airy apparitions.”
Another highlight in the presentation is a series of five bronze portraits: Anna, Irma, Laura, Lou and Rui Rui. The works are displayed closely together as if they are having an intimate conversation with each bronze head rendered in a distinct textured surface. ““Every time I do a portrait, soon after, in a way, the person no longer exists,” described the artist.
Get a closer look at “Nocturne” in the slideshow above and then visit Gray Warehouse’s website for more information. The exhibition is on view until January 9, 2021.
Elsewhere in art, the Uffizi is spotlighting unseen sketches from Federico Zuccari’s The Divine Comedy.
Gray Warehouse
2044 W Carroll Ave
Chicago, IL 60612
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