The Inner Flow of Life
Giuseppe Penone

Giuseppe Penone began his career within the Arte Povera movement and is one of the most important sculptors living today. His work The Inner Flow of Life measures 10 metres tall and weighs over 60 tonnes, made from granite and bronze. From the winding veins of the stone, a slim tree trunk springs forth with its roots towards the sky. In the tree’s bowl-shaped root system, new life grows. The sculpture is surrounded by boulders. These rough natural stones, sourced from places on Djurgården, are an important part of Penone’s installation as they both create a space around the sculpture and contrast against the freestanding granite and its smoothly polished front.

Throughout his works, Penone has explored the slow processes of nature, such as ageing, growth, and breathing. The Inner Flow of Life is inspired by these forces of energy and transformations, as he explains: “The fluidity contained within our bodies permeates the entire universe. It resides in the heart, the air, and the water. It can be observed in the veins of stone and in the growth of forests. It manifests in the paths we traverse. If we cast our gaze across time, we witness the transformation of stone back into fluidity through the actions of wind, rain, sun, and ice, reducing it to the dust from which our life emerges.”

The Inner Flow of Life is the fifth sculpture acquired by the Princess Estelle Cultural Foundation and was donated by Birgitta and Conni Jonsson. It was inaugurated on 30 May 2024 by H.R.H. Prince Daniel.