Jaume Plensa Enlarges Quiet Faces into Monumental Sculpture
Jaume Plensa’s Beyond Silence pairs vast wooden reliefs with elongated heads cast in iron and bronze at GRAY Chicago.
By Art Vault
October 8, 2026 · 1 min read
All images courtesy of GRAY, shared with permission via Colossal.
Two wooden faces stretching 28 feet across anchor Beyond Silence, Jaume Plensa’s tenth solo exhibition with GRAY. Built from wood and steel, the paneled reliefs turn the gallery wall into a field of subtle contours and rhythmic seams.
The broad horizontal works are joined by dramatically elongated heads in cast iron, granite, and bronze. Eyes remain closed across the series, giving the figures an inward focus that complicates their imposing scale.
Weight and Suspension
Plensa repeatedly pairs materials associated with architecture and industry with faces that appear weightless or absorbed in thought. Iron heads rest on rough granite supports, while painted bronze bodies narrow into improbable vertical proportions.
The contrast between mass and quietness is central to the work. Even at monumental scale, the closed eyes and softened expressions resist spectacle, creating an intimate pause within the surrounding architecture.
Beyond Silence is on view at GRAY Chicago through December 19, 2026. Explore more on the artist’s website and Instagram.
All images courtesy of GRAY, shared with permission via Colossal. Source: Colossal.
