At GRAY Chicago, Catalan artist and sculptor Jaume Plensa unveils Beyond Silence, a focused presentation anchored by two monumental wooden reliefs, Julia and Maria. Measuring 28 feet wide and seven feet tall, these paneled works translate the artists preoccupations with the human figure, architectural materials, and the perception of space into a commanding, room-shaping cadence. The show marks Plensas tenth solo exhibition with GRAY and coincides with Remote, Serene, Ethereal, opening next week at the gallerys New York location. Both exhibitions are on view through December 19.
The two reliefs belong to Plensas recent Beyond Silence series and are realized in wood and steel. Their broad, rigid angles organize the open gallery into measured intervals that offset the softened contours of the faces they depict. The works dimensions are specified at 85 37 d7 339 14 d7 41 14 inches, a scale that turns the wall into both support and subject. Around them, viewers encounter dramatically elongated faces that rise to seven feet high, part of Plensas Clouds series. In these sculptures, the artist pairs cast iron with the suavity of granite stone, producing an unexpected sense of suspension and weightlessness, the gallery says.
With their eyes closed, the large faces encourage an intimate encounter despite their size, drawing attention inward. Together, the pairing of dense architectural matter and serene portraiture underscores Plensas ongoing dialogue between mass and emotion, structure and stillness. The result is a gallery experience that balances heft with hush, inviting time for introspection, meditation, and shared humanity.
Chicago and New York in concert
Beyond Silence in Chicago unfolds alongside Remote, Serene, Ethereal in New York, aligning two presentations under GRAYs banner. While the Chicago installation spotlights the paneled reliefs and the elongated heads, the parallel New York opening extends the moment across cities and audiences. For those in Chicago, Plensas presence in the city also includes the iconic Crown Fountain at Millennium Park.
Together, the exhibitions emphasize how scale and material can reframe space and attentionfrom the disciplined geometry of wood and steel to the tactile dialogue of cast iron and granite stoneand affirm the longstanding relationship between the artist and GRAY.
