A HELPING HAND
23 May 2019
For the 2019 Venice Art Biennale, Lorenzo Quinn has unveiled a colossal sculpture across the entrance called Building Bridges that symbolises people overcoming their differences to build a better world together.
Each pair of hands represents one of six universally essential values: friendship, wisdom, help, faith, hope and love.
Venice has been chosen as the ideal location for Quinn’s largest work to date as it has long been a meeting point for international trade and a melting pot of diverse cultures. The installation, which spans 20 metres in width and 15 meters in height, even resembles the famous bridges that characterise the city. 
The artist comments, “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.”
The first pair of hands symbolise the notion of friendship and show two palms gently touching, yet their firm connection forms a symmetrical image – expressing a state of trust and support. The value of wisdom is conveyed using one old hand and one young hand, evoking the idea of knowledge being passed down from one generation to the next. 
Help is shown by two connecting hands, symbolising both empathy and understanding in a state of physical, emotional and moral support that builds lasting relationships.
The concept of faith is shown as the grasp of a tiny hand clutching a parent’s fingers in blind faith is a reminder of the responsibility to nurture our younger generation to grow in confidence, self-worth and dependability. 
Meanwhile, hope is shown as the initial joining of interlaced fingers representing optimism for the future.
Finally, love is expressed by tightly interlocked fingers suggesting the intensity of passionate devotion; the physical manifestation of a state of being that is fundamental to us all.
Via designboom | Images © Halcyon Art International
