BENGALURU: Spanish artist Jaume Plensa’s 16ft sculpture titled ‘Bengaluru’s Soul’ at Terminal 2 of Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) became one of the most Instagrammable spots within minutes of being unveiled Saturday evening, offering travellers a “wow” moment.Plensa’s monumental work featuring interlaced ideograms of alphabets in Kannada, Arabic, Chinese, Tamil, Armenian, Korean, Greek, Hebrew, Thai, Hindi, Japanese and Latin, woven together with mathematical symbols, adorns the arrival forecourt of T2.
One of the world’s foremost contemporary sculptors, Plensa offers a glowing tribute to Bengaluru’s diversity, creativity and global outlook through this installation. Measuring 500 x 319 x 375cm, it aligns with KIA’s vision of integrating art and culture into infrastructure.“I have an irresistible urge to bring beauty into everyday life for communities who may not visit galleries,” says Plensa, who has created landmark works in cities such as Chicago, New York, London, Madrid, Barcelona and Tokyo.The installation, funded by Biocon Foundation, was unveiled by Juan Antonio March Pujol, ambassador of Spain to India. Addressing the media before the unveiling ceremony, Biocon group chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw described discovering the sculptor through works seen at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge and later in Barcelona, before eventually being introduced to him through a hospital.After visiting Pl ensa’s studio, Shaw invited him to India; he loved the country and agreed to create a major public artwork for Bengaluru. “It’s a masterpiece that captures the spirit of a city where ideas, cultures and innovation converge. I hope people will appreciate this work,” said Shaw, adding: “Public art humanises civic spaces and fosters a sense of identity. Building resilient cities requires not just infrastructure, but investment in culture and creativity.”
