Last spring, Sculpture Walk Springfield and Rotary Clubs of Springfield commissioned a piece for Birthplace Plaza and put out two calls for art, one for a sculptural component and another for an “impact” component containing lighting or an interactive element.
Juan Garaizabal responded to both, pitching a hybrid between the two concepts. His piece is 18 by 20 feet and features interactive elements, light and sound, according to Sculpture Walk Springfield Director Bridget Bechtel.
Back in December, Garaizabal had an artist talk at the Historic Fox Theatre in downtown Springfield as the sculpture was announced.
This historic installation was realized by Sculpture Walk Springfield and the Rotary Club and features the work of international artist Juan Garaizabal.
Garaizabal is a Spanish artist with a studio in Madrid but has had work featured across the world in cities such as Berlin, Miami and Shanghai. He works internationally as he believes it is “a necessity” for the size of his projects and for the degree of sustainability he wishes to achieve.
Garaizabal began working as an artist in Berlin at 19.
“The Berlin Wall fell and I thought that was a sign, a possibility for me to be where the action is. Berlin became a playground for arts on the streets. Lots of the principles that I apply to my work come from this moment,” he said. “I am part of the generation of artists that took the street as an opportunity to change the dynamic in a city and interact and create emotions. I think it was the best place possible to do that.”
Garaizabal describes Berlin at that time as being “progressive,” “affordable” and “international.” Despite this, Garaizabal said many artists of that time were not able to make it.
Garaizabal attributes his ability to work through this struggle to a few different things, mainly his “determination” and “non-conformism.”
“Non-conforming [is important] because you need to be aware that you need to have your own space. You need to have your own territory. You need to be identifiable,” he said.
In creating his own voice, Garaizabal also said he had to experience “quite a lot of suffering.” However, Garaizabal is willing to make this sacrifice, as he sees his work as a “necessity” rather than a “job.”
Garaizabal said he and his team are now “very well-prepared” to work on many large-scale projects per year.
“This year we started with 12 monumental pieces in Bahrain, then we did a large-scale sculpture in Biarritz, France. Then we did another in Portugal, and we will finish with another installation in Hangzhou, China,” he said.
Garaizabal has had the opportunity to create art across the world, but he said he likes Springfield in particular because “the atmosphere doesn’t break [his] mental space,” which helps him get inspired.
“Thank you very much for bringing me another opportunity to work with fabulous people because that’s a privilege. An artist alone is not enough,” he added.
Garazibal’s work can be found on his Facebook, Instagram and website.
