The Covo Island, better known as the Island of Sculptures or Illa das Esculturas in Galician, is a park and island located near the mouth of the

Lérez The Lérez is a river in South West Galicia, Spain. The river meets the Atlantic Ocean at Pontevedra, where it creates Pontevedra's ria. The sources of the long stream are in Serra do Candán, in the mountain of San Bieito, in the parish of Ac ...

River, in

Pontevedra Pontevedra (, ) is a Spanish city in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the capital of both the '' Comarca'' (County) and Province of Pontevedra, and of the Rías Baixas in Galicia. It is also the capital of its own municipality wh ...

, Spain. It has an area of 70,000 m² and is connected to both banks of the river by footbridges and pedestrian bridges. It is the largest and most important open-air museum in Galicia and one of the most important in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. There is among other a 2 m high labyrinth, a 5 m high pink granite menhir at the crossroads or a floating house on the Lérez river at the bottom of the island. The aquatic fauna includes ducks and carps.

History

The island was formed in the river from the sediments transported by the

River deposited there because the river is already very close to sea level and loses its strength to carry these sediments away. At first, an intertidal plain was formed, but the Lérez found this obstacle on its way to the ria and sought another alternative route, thus opening a channel on the right side. The island remained in the wilderness until 1997, when it was transformed into a park. Later, a project for the development of this space was carried out, with the creation of contemporary artworks by 12 internationally renowned artists, which took as their central theme the

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...

of Galicia and the relationship of man with his environment. This is the most important example of land art, a trend in contemporary art, in Galicia. The project was officially inaugurated on 29 July 1999. Location_Map_Pontevedra_Sculptures_Island

Location_Map_Pontevedra_Sculptures_Island

Description

The island, which has been declared a protected natural area, is almost a kilometre long and has an elongated shape. It has an area of rushes, meadows, a main path and secondary paths. Three wooden bridges cross the inner canal and a cable-stayed footbridge over the Lérez River connects it to the Paseo del Lérez. On the island there are 12 granite sculptures by international artists. On the island come the tides and it is used by many birds as a breeding ground. It is a protected area declared LIC (place of community interest). Located near the Pontevedra Campus, the island is also used by many people as a place for walking or sports training.

Sculptures

The international authors and their sculptural works present on the island are: *The Italian Giovanni Anselmo with ''Cielo acortado''. It is a black granite column from

Campo Lameiro Campo Lameiro is a municipality in Galicia, Spain in the province of Pontevedra Pontevedra is a province of Spain along the country's Atlantic coast in southwestern Europe. The province forms the southwestern part of the autonomous commun ...

of one metre and 20 centimetres that represents the space between heaven and earth. *The German Ulrich Rückriem with a pink granite ''Column'' recalling Galician traditions. It's a 5-metre high stele at a crossroads. *The American Robert Morris created the ''Labyrinth of Pontevedra''. He recreates with it the oldest petroglyph in Europe: the labyrinth of Mogor located in Marín (Pontevedra) It is circular, two metres high and topped by a black slate roof. *The Portuguese José Pedro Croft with a ''House'' built in grey granite from Mondariz. It is a 3.20 metre construction without doors or windows, which blends in with the surrounding nature. A tree is embedded in its walls as a symbol of nature in motion. The house reflects the small world that man builds for himself within the house that is nature and evokes rural houses absorbed by nature. *The American

Jenny Holzer Jenny Holzer (born July 29, 1950) is an American neo-conceptual artist, based in Hoosick, New York. The main focus of her work is the delivery of words and ideas in public spaces and includes large-scale installations, advertising billboards, ...

, who installed ''Eight grey stone benches'' on the island's central promenade, with twelve phrases or

aphorism An aphorism (from Greek ἀφορισμός: ''aphorismos'', denoting 'delimitation', 'distinction', and 'definition') is a concise, terse, laconic, or memorable expression of a general truth or principle. Aphorisms are often handed down by ...

s of reflective intent inscribed on each one. The eight benches give art an everyday utility. *The English Richard Long with ''Pontevedra Line'', a small wall 37 metres long, made of pieces of white granite, which evokes the idea of the walk as action and thought. *The Scottish

Ian Hamilton Finlay Ian Hamilton Finlay, CBE (28 October 1925 – 27 March 2006) was a Scottish poet, writer, artist and gardener. Life Finlay was born in Nassau, Bahamas, to James Hamilton Finlay and his wife, Annie Pettigrew, both of Scots descent. He was e ...

with ''Three green slate medallions'' hanging from

eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as e ...

trees, made of green granite, with the inscription ''Petrarch'' and Roman numerals corresponding to sonnets. *The French Anne and Patrick Poirier with ''Folie'', a 3,000 square metre garden, outside the island to be viewed from it. The work is made of stainless steel, grey granite, plants and trees. *The American

Dan Graham Daniel Graham (March 31, 1942 – February 19, 2022) was an American visual artist, writer, and curator in the writer-artist tradition. In addition to his visual works, he published a large array of critical and speculative writing that spanned ...

with ''Pyramid''. The pink granite pyramid is 1.9 metres high, doubles in the waters of the river and contains three carved inverted pyramids. The work seeks the effect of light refraction and the granite is polished to achieve this effect. The pyramid is placed near the water of the river to obtain the reflection of the water as if it were a double pyramid. The

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

artists and their works are: *Fernando Casás represents ''The 36 righteous'' who sustain the world of the

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

tradition by means of 36 blocks of black granite, like trunks of a felled and devastated forest, distributed throughout the island's own forest. *Francisco Leiro with ''Saavedra'' installed a living room on a raft anchored in the

Lérez river The Lérez is a river in South West Galicia, Spain. The river meets the Atlantic Ocean at Pontevedra, where it creates Pontevedra's ria. The sources of the long stream are in Serra do Candán, in the mountain of San Bieito, in the parish of Aci ...

at the end of the island. This work is popularly known as ''La Batea''. ''Saavedra'' turns a familiar space into an unreachable and uncomfortable one. *Enrique Velasco, with a double ''Camino de Juncos'' (''Reed Path'') on the river bank showing the ductility and flexibility of the

Gallery

File:Pontevedra capital Monolito Ulrich Ruckriem.jpg, ''Untitled'', granite menhir by Ulrich Rückriem File:Laberintodepontevedra.jpg, Labyrinth of Pontevedra'', by Robert Morris File:EPyramid.jpg, ''Pyramid'', by

File:Saavedra escultura Francisco Leiro Pontevedra.jpg, ''Saavedra'', by Francisco Leiro, floating mussel farm File:Pontevedra capital, Parque Isla de las Esculturas Casita de José Pedro Croft.jpg, Small house of José Pedro Croft File:Pontevedra - Espazo Natural da Ribeira do Lérez-Illa das Esculturas 07.jpg, ''Lamed Vav / Os 36 xustos'', by Fernando Casás. File:Pontevedra capital parque Isla de las Esculturas Pontevedra Line de Richard Long.jpg, Pontevedra Line by Richard Long. File:Pontevedra capital, Parque Isla de las Esculturas y banco de Jenny Holzer.jpg, Granite benches by

File:Pontevedra capital Parque Isla de las Esculturas Folie de Patrick y Anne Poirier.jpg, Folie by Anne and Patrick Poirier. File:Pontevedra Capital Giovanni Anselmo Cielo Acortado Parque Isla de las Esculturas.jpg, Shortened sky by Giovanni Anselmo File:Pontevedra capital Parque de la isla de las esculturas, canal interior.jpg, Bridges over the island canal File:Pontevedra Parque Isla Esculturas Banco Jenny Holzer.jpg, Bench by

File:Pontevedra Capital Camino de Juncos Enrique Velasco Pontevedra Isla Esculturas.jpg, Reed path by Enrique Velasco File:Pasarela_peatonal_(16873007776).jpg, Pedestrian footbridge to access the island File:Pontevedra - Pasarela sobre el Lérez.jpg, Pedestrian footbridge over the

river File:Petrarca 1 Ian Hamilton Finlay - Isla de las Esculturas de Pontevedra capital.jpg, ''Petrarch'' by

References

Bibliography

* * * * ''The Island of Sculptures of Pontevedra: an integrated model of art and nature''
PDF
), doctoral thesis by Eva López Tarrío

History

Description

Sculptures

Gallery

References

Bibliography

See also

Related articles

External links