Plensa settles in the Historic Building of the UB

To Jaume Plensa, the columns that rise in the lobby of the Historic Building of the Universitat de Barcelona (UB) remind him of tree roots. That's what he thought when he entered the space that one of his sculptures would occupy, thus finding the name for one of his men formed by letters from different alphabets. Since this Wednesday, Arrels observes those who enter the university, a place also known by local residents who vote there.

In the absence of having his grand sculpture in the city, the Catalan artist is adding more and more spaces that bear his stamp. He started with a very timid sculpture on the Paseo del Born that few notice, on the occasion of the 1992 Olympic Games. He continued with that Carmela in front of the Palau de la Música, which is still uncertain whether it will stay forever in Barcelona, and then came the challenge of giving doors to the Liceu.

He even dares to leave temporary marks, such as his intervention in La Pedrera last year on the occasion of the exhibition dedicated to him and his giant heart that recently invaded the facade of the Faculty of Medicine of Hospital Clínic, where one of his sculptures permanently resides, donated to thank the work of healthcare personnel during COVID.

Now, Plensa has just added a new stop on his Barcelona route. At least, Arrels will stay at the UB for 8 years, although the current intention is for it to stay much longer. The new member of the university is a two-meter-high cast bronze piece. The sculptor created it in his workshop in Sant Feliu de Llobregat in 2018 and it had not been exhibited before. As always, its creator encourages touching it, stroking it, to be able to feel and understand it a little more. It is not the first time the artist has exhibited at a university, having done so at MIT and Harvard. Early next year, it will also arrive in Leuven, Belgium.