Building Bridges, Lorenzo Quinn
Building Bridges, the pinnacle of Quinn's artistic expression to date, will be installed in the basin of the Arsenale in the Castello District of Venice. Composed of six pairs of monumental hands, 15 metres high and 20 metres wide, the spectacular sculpture speaks to humanity's commonality, with an emphasis of bridging differences in all aspects of life - geographically, philosophically, culturally and emotionally.
Lorenzo Quinn said: 'Venice is a World Heritage City and it is the city of bridges. It is the perfect location to spread a message of world unity and peace so that more of us around the world build bridges with others rather than walls and barriers.'
'Each pair of the sculpture's hands celebrate one of six universal human values: Friendship, to build on the future together; Wisdom, to make mutually beneficial decisions; Help, to cement lasting relationships; Faith, to trust in your heart and self-worth; Hope, to persevere in worthwhile endeavours; and Love, the fundamental purpose for it all.'
The official unveiling of Building Bridges took place in Venice on the evening of 9 May 2019 with the extraordinary participation of Andrea Bocelli, a musical performance by pianist Lola Astanova, and the presence of the Mayor of Venice, dignitaries and the general public.