好奇藝術 Kunstkammer 16 : Human figure sculptures Jaume Plensa

好奇藝術 Kunstkammer 16 : Human figure sculptures

Jaume Plensa exhibition at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Photo by Tony Hisgett

The sitting figure embraces a tree calmly.
Not only one, but several all taking the same pose.
The figure sits on top of a little mound - tiny hill
(Aren't we all sitting on our little hill in some sense?)
 A tree in the middle, we embrace our tree, or we encircle our tree.
 (Who doesnt have a tree that they must embrace?)

This is a spiritual sculpture. 
If there were only one such figure it is less powerful than several all identical.
If only one, it speaks of maybe one person - or maybe symbolic of all people - if viewers stretch the idea a bit more.

Here, many are sitting quietly in a green landscape, tree is doing well, grass is green, people are calm.

No one's hill is any higher than the other, all clear.

The tree - as many viewers joked - signifies the figure's manhood.  It works.  But would that mean women are not part of this scene, then it reduces the power of the work.
So, lets say this symbols works part of the time.  Not always, its visible and then not visible.  More power still to the work, this shimmering see it and then not see it.  
But, where is the power for the implied woman's womenhood?   And the shimmering womenhood?   If there is no such thing in this work, then, something is missing.  Plunk, less power, it falls back down to its original status of lesser power.  However, lets say, not all trees immediately signifies "manhood" to all people.  

A tree is much more than that!  A tree is anchor, home, shelter, its vegetation, oxygen, gives fruit, its plenitude of life!

Take one step back from the obssessive manhood/womanhood issue, in the eye of the person looking from above, everybody tends to their tree with equal validity.

If this is a permanent exhibition, after 50 years, the trees would become bigger and the person might be incrusted with the tree and grown higher as a result.

 Imagine that! How wonderful.

If its temporary, we still have had enjoyed this quiet, spiritual image, and it might stay in our minds.

Now, a close up of the bodies of the sitting figures: 

Its got words, letters inscribed all over the body of the person!  
The person has civilization itself grown from his body, from inside; expressions from his genes.