2015–2016 
Canalside

Silent Poets by Jaume Plensa is a public artwork that activated a space for meditation and contemplation within the vibrant setting of Canalside. The work was inspired by meditative philosophers known as ascetics who preached to crowds about humanity while seated atop pillars during the Byzantine Empire. As Plensa explains of this work, the “two silent figures are dreaming and talking with colors. They are sharing a silent conversation in the sky—a conversation from their hearts.”

You may recognize another of Plensa’s works, Laura, 2012, which is situated on the Albright-Knox’s north portico facing the Scajaquada Expressway and the Buffalo History Museum. This twenty-foot-high marble female bust rests with her eyes closed, as if in a dream. The elongated form of this sculptural portrait is meant to make observers pause and engage in a peaceful moment of quiet contemplation about the work and its environment.

About Jaume Plensa

Jaume Plensa (Spanish, born 1955) has created an extensive body of public works of art, including more than 30 site-specific sculptural installations across the globe. Working with conventional materials such as aluminum, bronze, glass, marble, and steel, often combined with less tangible materials like light, water, sound, and video, Plensa’s monumental sculptures take on many forms, all with the intent to evoke emotion and discussion amongst those who experience them. Visit Jaume Plensa’s Website