We visit the Sorigué PLANTA project
Find out about an innovative project that straddles two worlds: the world of the Sorigué construction and services group and the contemporary art world of the Sorigué Foundation.
Art and business, creativity and building, intuition and reason, humanities and technology... all these apparently contradictory aspects coexist in the project located near Lerida conceived by the Sorigué group and the Sorigué Foundation. Just a couple of hours’ drive from Barcelona there is an innovative and spectacular project which bears the seal of the construction group: it is known as the PLANTA project.
Little-known in Barcelona, the place has made a major impact internationally and has attracted the attention of the media, art specialists, architects, and city planners, etc. This is because the place is unique: the space is home to both permanent contemporary art exhibitions and traditional industrial and extraction works belonging to the Sorigué construction company, as well as fields, research centers, and unique architectural spaces.
Vocation for art
Located in Sorigué’s La Plana del Corb industrial complex in Balaguer (Lerida), it is the artwork in PLANTA which grabs one’s attention. It has three permanent exhibitions by 3 major artists: Bill Viola, Juan Muñoz, and Anselm Kiefer.
"PLANTA's installations have permanent exhibitions of international artists such as Bill Viola, Anselm Kiefer or Juan Muñoz"
"Ocean without a shore" is the name given to the installation by the renowned video artist Bill Viola. It is the first permanent installation of the PLANTA project and is located in the Kiefer Pavilion, located at the entrance of the company's industrial complex in a completely renovated building that was previously a factory belonging to the Sorigué Group. The work of the artist Juan Muñoz "Double Mind" is exhibited in a specially adapted industrial building measuring over 2,200 square meters. The third permanent work is by the renowned German artist Anselm Kiefer. His is the first site-specific work at PLANTA and is composed of three spectacular large-format paintings.
A very different way of enjoying art, this collection is growing thanks to the contributions of artists who see this environment as inspiring and endowed with the technical means necessary to create and install their works.
Finalmente, otro artista permanente en el lugar es Anselm Kiefer. Su obra se alberga en otro site-specific construido en PLANTA: el Kiefer Pavilion. Ubicado en la entrada del complejo industrial, alberga tres espectaculares pinturas de gran formato del reconocido artista alemán, cuyos grandes temas son la cultura, la memoria y la historia. Complementan el conjunto dos esculturas monumentales de Antonio López, Día y Noche, que dialogan de manera magistral entre ellas y con el entorno, un paisaje industrial y natural al mismo tiempo.
Una propuesta para disfrutar del arte de una manera muy diferente cuya colección crece gracias a contribuciones específicas realizadas por los artistas que consideran este entorno un lugar de inspiración, equipado con los medios técnicos necesarios para crear e instalar sus obras en espacios únicos.
Context, urban design and architecture
In addition to the artistic collection, architecture is also very important in the PLANTA project, not only the buildings themselves, but also the debates and dialogues on architecture that the Group organizes periodically with international architects to reflect on issues related to architecture, landscaping, and urban development.
A very important aspect of the project is the knowledge generated for the company by the talented professionals it is able to attract and develop, and its culture of innovation. For the Sorigué Group, the special combination found at its facilities in Lleida serves as a strategic benchmark for the Group.
The Foundation
Created in 1985 by Julio Sorigué and his wife, the foundation promotes activities in the social domain, culture and education. The foundation started its contemporary art collection twenty years ago and it is now considered one of the most important in Spain. The collection currently consists of more than 450 works of art that are housed in the Sorigué Foundation museum in Lerida. In addition to the permanent collection, the institution organizes temporary exhibitions; the next starts on September 1st and is a new exhibition by Matt Collishaw entitled "The End of Innocence."
El proyecto PLANTA iniciará una nueva temporada de visitas a partir del próximo mes de octubre con reserva previa.
