Exhibitions
Jaume Plensa takes silence further in Chicago
Beyond Silence brings together monumental sculptures of wood, cast iron and granite at GRAY Chicago in an exhibition that explores the scale, matter and shared dimension of the human figure.
The city of Chicago will host a new exhibition this fall by Jaume Plensa, one of the Catalan artists with the most international projection. From September 17 to December 19, 2026, the GRAY Chicago gallery will present Beyond Silence , a show that marks Plensa's tenth solo exhibition with the gallery and that delves into two of the axes that have traversed his career: scale and matter.
The proposal brings together monumental reliefs carved in wood, highly vertical sculptures made in cast iron and granite, and small bronze pieces. The entire ensemble is articulated around the representation of the human figure, one of the great recurring motifs in the artist's work, and raises a reflection on the possibility and continuity of a shared human experience.
The conceptual and physical center of the exhibition is formed by two enormous carved wooden reliefs, Beyond Silence (Julia) and Beyond Silence (Maria) , each of which is 28 feet long, about 8.5 meters. The two works directly dialogue with the architecture of the gallery and traverse the space in a similar way to the large wooden trusses that define the interior ceiling.
His monumental scale turns the human figure into an almost architectural presence and blurs the boundaries between sculpture and built space. Plensa thus expands the usual dimension of the portrait and transforms the body and face into elements capable of modifying the perception of the space that surrounds them.
Alongside these large reliefs will be installed three sculptures from the new Clouds series, all seven feet tall, approximately 2.13 meters. The pieces combine cast iron and granite, two materials of radically different nature and appearance. The hardness and industrial character of the iron contrast with the smooth surface of the granite, generating a visual tension that suggests an unexpected sense of suspension and weightlessness.
In this play between monumentality and intimacy, the exhibition also incorporates bronze sculptures from the Twilight series, located in the center of the gallery. The pieces, about 20 inches tall, approximately 51 centimeters, considerably reduce the scale of the experience.
If the large reliefs establish a dialogue with the architecture and turn the figure into a monumental presence, the Twilight bronzes propose a much closer and more personal encounter. The visitor thus moves from perceiving the work as an architectural element to a more intimate relationship with the sculpture.
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