Five Monumental Sculptures by Internationally Acclaimed Spanish Artist, Manolo Valdes, Installed around DIFC
The Dubai International Financial Centre has established itself as a unique and singular landmark in the city, blending business, architecture, gastronomy and the arts in perfect harmony. What started as a visionary insight has bloomed to become a world-renowned destination. The DIFC has been home to Opera Gallery since 2008 and the Gallery has been a proud and important catalyst of the area’s cultural scene through the curation of quality exhibitions with important international artists.
To celebrate the major 10-year milestone, Opera Gallery Dubai believe its important to give back to the community and have taken art beyond the gallery walls. In collaboration with the DIFC and in support of its public art initiative, Opera Gallery has installed five monumental sculptures by Spanish artist, Manolo Valdes around the DIFC.
Such an iconic location deserves no less than an iconic artist of Valdes’ stature. Valdes’ aim is for all his works to embrace the life of their location, integrating with each unique environment to become greater than the sum of their parts. This futuristic oasis is the perfect setting for his body of work and Opera Gallery Dubai is excited to share it with the art-lovers and general public of Dubai for them to enjoy.
Manolo Valdes’ works have a life of their own and exist independently of any theoretical explanations that can be made of them and these monumental sculptures have been displayed in symbolic locations around the world such as Place Vendôme in Paris, the New York Botanical Garden, Château de Chambord in Loire valley, the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, on Orchard Road in Singapore and in New York’s Park Avenue; all demonstrating how exciting it is for Dubai to now be home to the works of one of the most internationally acclaimed contemporary artists.
Manolo explains, “the distinctive thing about these sculptures is that, as they are exhibited in places that are all so different, you end up seeing them in very different ways. Seeing them in Chambord for example is very different to seeing them on Broadway. Either way its beautiful to see how the same sculpture speaks to you in different ways, depending on the different locations and how the environment influences them.”
Valdes encourages people to get up-close and personal to the sculptures and says “I don’t want people to be afraid to touch and feel them, it’s all part of the experience and is what makes them so exciting. I hope to see them one day photographed in a sandstorm, that would really show them integrated into this uniquely beautiful environment and show them in yet another light.”
The five monumental sculptures can be enjoyed around DIFC for the next year as well as his solo-exhibition at Opera Gallery Dubai in Gate Village 3 until April 15th, 2018.
The sculptures are available for sale and carry prices ranging from USD 1,600,000 to USD 2,100,000.
