This week I visited the Yorkshire Sculpture Park to see the exhibition by the Spanish artist Juame Plensa. As I travelled down the parks scenic drive I could see some of the large figurative sculptures dotted amongst the trees and greenery and I knew I was in for a treat.
For me, the highlight of the garden exhibition were the pair of impressive wire head sculpts that sat on the gallery’s lawned roof, towering above the courtyard below. I was told that one of the sculptures was modelled on the artist himself and this was also the case in some of his other pieces. We visited during daylight hours so did not experience the sculptures lit up at night which I am sure would have been truly spectacular.
The use of text and language was a recurrent theme in his work and pieces were often grouped together representing dialogue and interaction happening between them.
The indoor exhibition was very much a sensory experience with the use of light, sounds and tactile pieces, where the viewer was encouraged to explore work ranging from a delicate poetry curtain to large engraved brass gongs. His work really interested me, particularly his use of light and illumination which gave the pieces an ethereal quality. The alabaster heads ( probably twenty in total) were hauntingly beautiful, cleverly illuminated creating what seemed like ghostly projections. Never before have I entered a space that made me gasp out loud, but I did it here.
The Sculpture Park also houses more permanent pieces by artists such as Henry Moore, Anthony Gormley and James Turrell.
Our final stop on the trail was Turrell’s Deer Shelter which made the perfect tranquil space to rest and reflect on the day.
