At the beginning of the 1990s, Maastricht University commissioned the Spanish sculptor Susana Solano to create a work of art for the large flat semicircular roof of the university library in Randwijck under an art arrangement special developed for governmental buildings. For this purpose Susana Solano designed a spatial installation 'Croissant la demi lune' consisting of 16 copper elements, cones and spheres, varying in size from 17 to 70 cm in diameter. Unfortunately, due to technical problems, the artwork was not installed and was given on loan to the Bonnefantenmuseum. There the work 'Croissant la demi lune' has formed part of several exhibitions.

The Maastricht University art and heritage committee has now found a permanent location for this work of art at the Henri Spaak 1. Apart from the beautifully fitting space where the artwork now stands, the Martin Paul Plaza, the artwork with its abstract spatial forms fits in particularly well with the Faculty of Science & Engineering in terms of content.

About the art installation:

The artwork invites a different arrangement at each place because it establishes a direct relationship with the environment. In the book 'Susana solano proy (j)ecto(e)s' by Marta LLorente (2007) the following is written about it:

'The migration of this spatial artwork to different places is inherent in the world of architecture and engeneering. Buildings change in their use, their function and their form.  Her work is close to these domains and she finds twists and changes in her work quite common. The copper elements continue to have, according to the space, a kind of disorder of randomness, a coincidence, a new face.'

'Her works tend to invade, to occupy a space previously reserved for the quiet emptiness that architecture creates.

About the elements' the objects, that Susana Solano uses in her artwork the writer Marta LLorente states:

'Objects are often the only memories we have of spaces that witness the different episodes in our lives. Before, objects had a much longer life span than our lives. Nowadays they are constantly discarded, yet many of them still show a persistent ability to stay with us. I believe Susana's artifacts present this coming and going and what connects us.

About Solano:

Solano(1946) studied at the Real Accademia Catalana de Bellas Artes de San Jorge in Barcelona from 1974 to 1980. In 1980 she had her first solo exhibition at the Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona. From 1981 to 1987 she taught at the art school. Solano's first works were still strongly influenced by the work of sculptor Constantin Brâncuşi. From the mid-eighties her work became more minimalistic.

In 1987 she participated in Documenta 8 in Kassel, Skulptur Projekte in Münster and the São Paulo Biennale in the Brazilian city of São Paulo. In 1988, she represented Spain at the Venice Biennale in Venice with Jorge Oteiza and received the Premio Nacional de Artes Plásticas de España, established in 1980. In 1992 she was invited to documenta IX in Kassel and again in 1993 to the Venice Biennale. In 2005 Solano received the Arco Award for best Spanish artist at the Salon International d'Art Contemporain (ARCO '05) in Madrid.

The artist's work is exhibited in many museums and sculpture parks in Europe, the United States and Japan.

Mieke Derickx