Voices Jaume Plensa is one of Spain’s most internationally renowned contemporary artists and, by all accounts, a free thinker. His monumental sculptures can be found in Chicago, Alberta, Rio de Janeiro, Nice, London, Venice, Shanghai and Singapore, but also next to the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona and in Madrid’s Plaza Colón. Before beginning this interview in his workshop on the outskirts of Barcelona, where several craftspeople are working on their next pieces, he mentions a recent concern that reveals his humane side, which was sparked by an article he read in the press: “It hadn’t occurred to me before, and it struck me deeply: old men declare the wars that young men die in”. What is the purpose of art? This is a question that all artists constantly ask themselves. We don’t really know what it’s for, but without art, life is unbearable. Especially in historic times such as those we are currently experiencing: the world is highly polarised and art is more necessary today than ever before. It is said that in the world of the flat-earthers populating social media, now is a challenging time for science. Is that also applicable to art? I disagree. It’s a great time for science, art and creativity, as it always is. It’s simply that sometimes, historically, there are moments when the people who run countries are not up to the task of serving their citizens. These are, sadly, the awful times that ordinary people have to endure. Human beings have an extraordinary capacity for reinvention; we’re always doing it, although occasionally we get off on the wrong foot and don’t know how to express our feelings adequately. Now is an extraordinary time for science. Some current leaders are mired in an anti-cultural and almost anti-scientific mindset. Sometimes we citizens do not deserve the politicians who govern our destinies, but that is also normal. In humans, we see the pursuit of individual freedom, which often ends up succeeding. Politicians are only around for a limited time, as is self-evidently necessary, but fortunately creativity and science always prevail. There is no alternative to the 20