Exhibitions
Jaume Plensa's Secret Garden: A poetic dialogue between contemporary art and history in Salzburg
Impressive installation by Jaume Plensa in the Residenzplatz of the Austrian city.
The city of Salzburg is hosting one of the most outstanding artistic interventions on the European scene this year with Secret Garden by Jaume Plensa as part of the Salzburger Festspiele 2025. An installation created from five monumental female iron heads, on display until the end of August in the well-known and busy Residenzplatz, one of the most emblematic spaces in the city's old town.
Each piece reaches 11 meters in height and weighs almost thirty tons to turn the Residenz Fountain in a Pythagorean star formation. These sculptures evoke feelings of hope, enthusiasm and harmony, inviting the viewer to a deep meditation on human nature and the universal power of communication.
Jaume Plensa's Secret Garden extends the route of the Walk of Modern Art , an initiative promoted by the Fundación para el Arte y la Cultura that seeks to create a dynamic and lively dialogue between contemporary art of international scope and the historic and emblematic environment of the center of Salzburg. Plensa's poetic figures are incorporated into this urban space, establishing a new conversation, albeit of a temporary nature, with the city. This intervention provides a fresh and innovative artistic dimension, enriching the existing route and inviting visitors to rediscover Salzburg through a contemporary perspective that connects tradition and modernity.
Jaume Plensa has been part of this artistic journey since 2010 with his work Awilda , a five-meter-high sculpture located in the courtyard of the Faculty of Law. Inspired by the face of a young Dominican woman, Awilda symbolizes, in the artist's words, "a new layer of humanity in this city so rich in artistic tradition." This piece was a turning point that brought a fresh and contemporary look to the city's cultural landscape, establishing a dialogue between modernity and its historical surroundings.
The presence of these sculptures creates a striking visual contrast between the modern materiality of iron and the baroque architecture that characterizes the historical environment in which they are located. The faces, with their eyes closed, convey a deep sense of dreaminess and introspection, inviting viewers to connect with an interior and personal dimension. As the artist himself, Jaume Plensa, explained during the presentation of the work, these figures want to capture the invisible and intangible thing that lives in every human being: the thoughts, dreams and emotions that often remain hidden and unexpressed. This poetic representation allows for the establishment of a bridge between the exterior and the interior, offering an experience that transcends mere physical contemplation and invites reflection on the depth of the human condition.
According to Walter Smerling, president of the Foundation, Jaume Plensa's art is an essential call because it adopts an open and humane stance towards the world, where mutual respect and warmth in relationships are the protagonists. With these words, Smerling values the deep socio-cultural charge that characterizes the artist's work.
