Jaume Plensa

Just when you think Barcelona couldn’t get anymore beautiful, you’re introduced to Flora, who basks in the Spanish sun against a background of Gaudí’s La Pedrera-Casa Milà.

The artist: Jaume Plensa, a Barcelona native renowned for his oversized human sculptures constructed in materials ranging from cast iron and bronze, to marble and wood. His Poetry of Silence collection, curated by Javier Molins, covers the entirety of Plensa’s career and can be found in Catalonia.

Despite their physical weight, these sculptures radiate an etherealness with their closed eyes, and sensual, tender features. They are somehow otherworldly. Plensa’s juxtaposition of the bustling Barcelona and the sense of stillness within these sculptures has left a long-lasting impression on me. The transition between the two is so immediate that you are forced to step into their meditative space and reflect on moments we all need but rarely have the wherewithal to take.

Are these pieces a call to action? Do they represent our inner voice? Or are they a symbol of the quality we all strive for – peace?