Renowned Catalan artist Jaume Plensa opens new solo exhibition in Venice

Internationally renowned Catalan artist Jaume Plensa inaugurated on Thursday a solo artistic installation in one of Venice's smallest churches, Sant Gallo.

The installation 'Janus' consists of a series of sculptures of six female faces made of glass and alabaster.

The pieces are inspired by the figure of the Roman god Janus, represented with a double face: one looking to the past and the other to the future.

Drawing on the duality of the ancient myth, Plensa creates an ode to hope by creating a space of "spiritual and poetic" silence.

At a time when wars are taking place all over the world, and especially close to Europe, Plensa reflects on the violence among human beings.

In an interview with the Catalan News Agency (ACN), Plensa said he hopes to offer a space of solace to promote "long-awaited harmony and peace."

"The world is always at war; I can hardly recall moments when there were no wars in the world," he said, adding that violence among human beings "affects him greatly."

Plensa explained that both glass and alabaster represent well the fragility of the human being.

"They have the capacity to illuminate us, but a fragility that shatters with a violent blow," he said.

The sculptures enter into a dialogue with the three altars of the church, with their eyes closed, inviting the public to delve into themselves, from the past to the future, where we perpetually construct and maintain silence.

Plensa's latest exhibition in Venice is open until September 30.