Jaume Plensa Opens Two Parallel Exhibitions at GRAY: “Beyond Silence” in Chicago and “Remote, Serene, Ethereal” in New York

Catalan sculptor Jaume Plensa (born 1955 in Barcelona), internationally known for his monumental public installations — including “Crown Fountain” in Chicago’s Millennium Park — has opened two parallel solo exhibitions at GRAY gallery: “Beyond Silence” in Chicago, opened September 17, 2026 and open to the public through December 19, 2026, and “Remote, Serene, Ethereal” in New York, also through December 19, 2026.

“Beyond Silence” is his tenth solo exhibition with GRAY; the first was held in the gallery’s Chicago space in 1996. At its center stand two monumental wood-carved reliefs, “Beyond Silence (Julia)” and “Beyond Silence (Maria)”, each 28 feet (about 8.5 meters) long, which dialogue directly with the gallery’s architecture and turn the human figure into an architectural presence.

The exhibition also presents the new “Clouds” series: three seven-meter-tall sculptures, elongated heads composed of cast iron and granite — heavy materials that Plensa manages to make appear as if floating. At its center, the small bronzes of the “Twilight” series (about 50 centimeters) take the encounter with the work from the architectural scale to the intimate.

The exhibition’s axis is the relationship between scale and material, as well as the exploration of shared human experience through the human figure; the closed-eyed figures invite the visitor to contemplation and introspection. Plensa has worked for more than 40 years with stone, steel, glass, wood, light, water, video, language and sound; he participated in the Venice Biennale in 2015 and 2024, is the author of “Water’s Soul” along the Hudson River and of “Utopia” at Frederik Meijer Gardens, and has received the Velázquez Prize from Spain’s Ministry of Culture.

Both exhibitions can be visited through December 19, 2026 — one in Chicago and the other in New York. Visitors to Chicago can also see his iconic “Crown Fountain” in Millennium Park, one of the city’s most beloved public works.

Source: GRAY (richardgraygallery.com)