On September 19, the exhibition \u201cMirall\u201d by Jaume Plensa opened at La Llotja in Palma. Through this exhibition, the Catalan artist reflects on the dualities of the world: body and soul, matter and spirit, light and darkness, opacity and transparency, past and future\u2026 The *Stiftung f\u00fcr Kunst und Kultur* foundation\u2014on whose board of trustees sits Guillermo Dezcallar, a co-founding partner of the law firm Illeslex Abogados\u2014was responsible for coordinating the project, which was organized by the Balearic Government in collaboration with the Palma City Council.<\/p>\n\n
Inside La Llotja, two 7-meter-tall stainless steel sculptures\u2014”Invisible Laura” and “Invisible Rui Rui”\u2014have been installed; they face each other, with their backs turned toward the main entrance. Plensa is one of the most renowned contemporary sculptors in the Spanish art scene, with a significant international profile, and is especially well-known for his interventions in public spaces. The exhibition will be open to the public until February 15 (in October, the opening hours are 10:30\u201313:30 and 16:00\u201321:00; from November to February, they are 10:30\u201313:30 and 16:00\u201319:00).<\/p><\/p>\n\n
During the presentation, the President of the Government of the Balearic Islands, Margalida Prohens, remarked that \u201cthe paths of Jaume Plensa and La Llotja were destined to cross,\u201d adding that projects like this one will help \u201cthe Balearic Islands achieve the standing we are working toward alongside the Palma City Council\u2014that of becoming a global benchmark for contemporary art and culture.\u201d For his part, Jaume Plensa emphasized that \u201ccontemporary art is an extraordinary ally to history. The relationship with a building like La Llotja must be a dialogue\u2014a way of coming together.\u201d Regarding the exhibition\u2019s title, \u201cMirall\u201d [Mirror], he noted: \u201cFor years, I have been obsessed with how we look at the \u2018other.\u2019 Another person is always an enigmatic territory, and we often fail to realize that, in looking at the other, we are, in a sense, seeing ourselves.\u201d Also participating in the presentation were the Mayor of Palma, Jaime Mart\u00ednez, and Walter Smerling, President of the Stiftung f\u00fcr Kunst und Kultur and curator of the exhibition.<\/p>\n\n
This is a project in which Plensa reflects on the dualities of the world: “The ancient tradition of classical Rome had Janus as one of its main Gods. He was a divinity with two faces: one looking at the past and the other at the future. The reflection of our face in the mirror, in the face of everyone else, of lovers and friends, strangers and acquaintances. Men and women sharing their faces in the most generous of our acts. The duality of the body and the shadow, of day and night, of joy and pain\u2026 The duality of all our dreams that still wait to be born in the reflection of a mirror.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
This exhibition is part of the Balearic Government\u2019s objective to position the island as a cultural destination and to establish La Llotja as an internationally recognized venue for showcasing exhibitions by the world\u2019s most prominent contemporary artists. The Jaume Plensa exhibition is the third to be hosted by this building\u2014a jewel of Mallorca\u2019s secular Gothic architecture\u2014since last June, following those of the Portuguese artist Pedro Cabrita and the British artist Julian Opie; the latter closed on August 31st and attracted over 200,000 visitors.<\/p>\n\n
Jaume Plensa<\/strong><\/p><\/h2>\n\n Jaume Plensa (Barcelona, \u200b\u200b1955) studied at the Llotja School of Arts and Crafts and the Sant Jordi School of Fine Arts. Since his first exhibition in 1980, he has lived and worked in Germany, Belgium, France, and the United States, and he currently resides in Barcelona.<\/p>\n\n Ha sido profesor en la \u00c9cole Nationale Sup\u00e9rieure des Beaux-Arts de Par\u00eds y colaborador en el Art Institute of Chicago. Adem\u00e1s, ha dado conferencias en numerosas universidades y museos en todo el mundo. Asimismo, ha recibido numerosos premios, incluyendo la Medalla de Caballero de las Artes y las Letras de Francia en 1993; el Premio Nacional de Artes Pl\u00e1sticas de Catalu\u00f1a en 1997; y el Premio Vel\u00e1zquez de las Artes en 2013, entre otros. En 2018 fue nombrado Doctor Honoris Causa por la Universitat Aut\u00f2noma de Barcelona y, en 2024, por la Universidad de Notre Dame en Indiana (EE. UU.).<\/p>\n\n He has been a professor at the \u00c9cole Nationale Sup\u00e9rieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris and a collaborator at the Art Institute of Chicago. Furthermore, he has delivered lectures at numerous universities and museums around the world. He has also received many awards, including the French Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters in 1993, the National Award for Visual Arts of Catalonia in 1997, and the Vel\u00e1zquez Prize for the Arts in 2013, among others. In 2018, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Autonomous University of Barcelona, \u200b\u200band in 2024, by the University of Notre Dame in Indiana (USA).<\/p>\n\n