Jaume Plensa, an internationally renowned Catalan artist

Jaume Plensa is an internationally renowned Catalan artist who has exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide. He is mainly known for his innovative and pioneering projects that engage with public space.?

Plensa’s exhibition at Yorkshire Sculpture Park in 2011 was one of the park's most successful ever shows, comprising an extraordinary body of work in the Underground Gallery and open air. His work, which often leaves a profound impact on viewers, explores the complexities and contradictions of the human condition, most recently through figurative works and portraits that concentrate on our human need for a reflective inner world and silent domain within an increasingly chaotic and noisy world.

Plensa's sculpture?, Wilsis, is part of a series of portrait heads that depict young girls from diverse backgrounds, all in a dreamlike state of contemplation with their eyes closed. Standing at over seven meters high, this work has the power to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary, a testament to Plensa's belief in the remarkable potential of all human beings, regardless of their background or status.

The girl in the?Wilsis?sculpture seems to be contemplating something or someone beyond our present time, her youthful aura radiating hope and potential. This work is a captivating exploration of perspective through the flattening of form, a universal message that transcends cultural and societal boundaries.

From the front, the head appears realistic, yet it is a highly flattened relief from the side, creating a captivating optical illusion. Viewing the work at Yorkshire Sculpture Park is a journey of discovery, first glimpsed in a beautiful setting across the lake and fully revealed as you walk around the landscape, engaging the viewer in a unique and immersive experience.