The sculpture “Welcome to the Void”, by Enric Pladevall, has been installed at Banco Sabadell’s Corporate centre in Sant Cugat del Vallès (Barcelona).

«”Welcome to the Void” is the sculpture which lent its name to the exhibition hosted by VolArt, Fundació Vila Casas in 2009. The sculpture is made of linden wood, measuring 255 cm in length, 117cm in height and 92cm wide. Ribs curved in steam give the sculpture its helical shape, sealed by hundreds of flat pieces of different sizes, which give the sculpture a round shape, creating a macrocosm based on a microcosm. Each small piece has its own position in the layout of the sculpture. Its morphology coexists with others which are different, yet they all join together to create this chamber of emptiness. This emptiness arises from the unknown, which Joan Vinyoli conveys in his magnificent poem “Redossada en la nit”:

[…] ves-te’n de nit, pel negre
mar sense fons ni vores,
cap al teu port d’origen:
l’inconegut.

» Fate, as it has already intervened so many times, has also played a part in this sculpture. The sculpture was originally going to be placed in a vertical position, as through the holes, each with a different sized diameter, it was possible to see inside the sculpture. Yet when I laid it down on the floor to finish it, I realised that in this position the view of the inside was much more attractive. And that’s how it stayed.

» Art is multi-dimensional, slowly caressing its shapes and sizes is a way of recharging ones batteries. Art is closely linked to energy, emotions and pressures, much more than just to the concept of art. I understand art as a source of knowledge and a way of expressing knowledge in a sensitive manner. Maybe art is what stimulates our senses, brings us closer to life itself, and gives us energy.»

Enric Pladevall
Sculptor
February 2018