The Inner Flow of Life

Erika and I visited the sculpture park created by The Princess Estelle Cultural Foundation already last year. It is under continuous development, with a long-term plan to add one new sculpture every year.

This year, a fifth permanent sculpture in the park was added, and it was an artwork by Giuseppe Penone, someone I am well acquainted with from the Louvre Abu Dhabi. I almost always finish my tours by presenting his artwork Propagation, that I also wrote my thesis on for my Bachelor.

So of course, I had to come and see the new sculpture!

We joined the daily (free!) guided tour, and fortunately for us, it started with the newest addition.

 

This is a site specific work called The Inner Flow of Life. It consists of a massive granite block with a slender tree trunk springing forth with its roots pointing towards the sky. It measures 10 meters and weighs 60 tonnes. It’s imagery is a bit like a dandelion that manages to grow out of asphalt. It can be seen as a symbol of the power we all carry within us, and a reminder that everything is possible no matter how difficult life might be at times. 

 

We deviated from the tour after the first stop, as we had seen the rest of the sculptures last summer, and went to have lunch instead. Swedish meatballs, yum!

Then we continued our cultural explorations at the Thiel Gallery, but more about that in a separate post.