The City Council of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, through the areas of Culture and Public Services, proceeded yesterday to light the sculpture Islas, by the artist Jaume Plensa, in its new location in the Garcia Sanabria Park after the work had to be moved from its old location, at the end of the Rambla de Santa Cruz, for reasons of pruning the trees where it was located until now.
The event, held in the park’s José Blasco Robles promenade, was attended by the mayor of the city, José Manuel Bermúdez; the artist of the work, Jaume Planes; the Councilor for Culture, Gladis de León, as well as representatives of the Official College of Architects, is part of the program of events on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the exhibition of sculptures in the street.
Islas is a set of 73 black aluminum, methacrylate and neon boxes suspended by steel cables from tree branches. What is striking is the contrast produced in the first place between the dense and chaotic foliage of nature and the regular boxes with a random placement, but within an order.
Plensa’s work was installed on the Rambla in 1994, in the second edition of the International Exhibition of Street Sculptures, and is entitled Islands. Already in 2016, the work was removed to proceed with its restoration, since several boxes had been lost, and the rest presented a poor state of conservation, placing it back in its original location, with the lighting update in accordance with current regulations. .
The two editions of the International Street Sculpture Exhibition, held in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 1973 and 1994, introduced magnificent sculptures by renowned artists to the city that transformed its public spaces. The great landscape impact of these pieces located in parks and avenues of the city has contributed to the approach of the citizen to artistic experiences, generated debate, and placed the capital at the forefront of contemporary sculpture.
