Jaume Plensa, Palma's new ambassador: "I hope to live up to expectations"

PalmArtist Jaume Plensa received the title of Ambassador of Palma at a ceremony held this Monday, where he expressed his hope to live up to expectations. The sculptor and draftsman made these remarks during the ceremony at Can Balaguer, where the Mayor of Palma, Jaime Martínez, presented him with the award. Plensa indicated that this prize "closes a personal chapter" with Palma and Mallorca, where he has "always" felt very welcome. "I don't know what it means to be an ambassador, I've never been one, but ambassadors have always fascinated me," he quipped. He also noted that upon arriving in Palma and walking through the city, he felt a strong connection and love for it. He further recalled his various exhibitions held there over the years. In fact, he noted that this Monday he visited the headquarters of the Pilar and Joan Miró Foundation in Mallorca, which is hosting an exhibition about the painter and sculptor, and stated that he felt "a certain nostalgia" for his 2006 exhibition, due to the "symbiosis" that was created with the space. The event began with a musical performance, followed by an artistic projection on the organ pipes of Can Balaguer, and then speeches by Martínez and Plensa. During his speech, the mayor thanked Plensa for accepting a position that "is not merely honorary, but involves intense activity aimed at representing our city to the world," and showcasing the reality of a region that, in his words, "is immersed in a process of change, values, and transformation," in an ambitious process of transformation and development.

Martínez also highlighted Plensa's "brilliant career" and his connection "not only artistic or professional, but above all human and personal, with the city."

Apart from the recent inauguration of the work MirrorIn September 2024, at the Lonja, Jaume Plensa's presence in the cultural and artistic context of Palma was made effective with other exhibitions, such as the one that took place in the cistern of Es Baluard, which constituted one of the great milestones in the programming of the Museum of Contemporary Art.

The ceremony brought together a large institutional representation, headed by the President of the Government, Marga Prohens, and which also included the President of the Parliament, Gabriel Le Senne, and the First Deputy Mayor and Councillor for Culture, Javier Bonet.