International art exhibition promoting nature and environmental protection

The six sculptures that make up the exhibition ‘My Secret Garden’, by Belgian artist Arne Quinze, have a strong message of advocacy and environmental warning.

From September 16, 2021, until January 16, 2022, Puerto Banús made it possible to view the temporary exhibition ‘My Secret Garden’ by the Belgian artist Arne Quinze, in the city of Marbella. It is made up of six sculptures in acrylic on aluminium that pay homage to nature.

During these four months when ‘My Secret Garden’ is on show, Puerto Banús has wanted to raise awareness about the environmental problems caused by climate change and the depletion of natural resources, through its imposing sculptures. Unfortunately, these are problems our planet is facing, and which we as a society must overcome.

Arne Quinze’s sculptures, as the artist himself states, are inspired by numerous personal encounters with the unbridled beauty of nature. Each piece symbolizes his reflection on today’s growing differences between the diversity of nature and the ongoing expansion of monotonous cities.

The artist calls for profound dialogue between nature and culture in the development of our modern society. The fact that 30% of the existing flora and fauna has already been destroyed since the birth of Quinze in 1971 is abhorrent to him: “It is in everyone’s interest to protect and restore ecosystems”.

The theme running through this exhibition, as well as the incomparable setting in which each of his sculptures has been displayed, have made it a unique event nationwide as in Spain it could only be seen in the city of Valencia, in the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències, and now in Puerto Banús, so this has become a very important and unique event for Marbella, Malaga and Andalusia.

Thus, Puerto Banús takes art out of exhibition halls and brings it to the public environment, claiming for itself the concept of an open-air museum. With this gesture, Puerto Banús wants to serve as a showcase for national and international art, with a commitment to proposals that pay tribute to nature and the importance it has in our daily lives as a society.

We want to make Puerto Banús an emerging gallery to make art visible and accessible to everyone, making the most of our open spaces. Likewise, with exhibitions like this, we can arouse emotions and raise awareness so that we, all together, can help to achieve a more just, sustainable and environmentally friendly world.

On the latter point, Juan Núñez Insausti, CEO of Puerto Banús, has said: “We want to be the extension of the city of Málaga on the path it has taken to become the European capital of culture and art. Therefore, one of our aims is to transform Puerto Banús into a scenic space, an art gallery, a space for culture”.