T.O.L.E.R.A.N.C.E.

Guy Ferrer

T.O.L.E.R.A.N.C.E. is a monumental sculptural installation by French artist Guy Ferrer, consisting of nine bronze human figures. Each figure represents a letter of the word “Tolerance” and symbolically evokes one of the major religions or cultures of the world.

The work is based on a central idea: a word only makes sense if all its letters are preserved. Every letter is essential. Likewise, no culture or belief system can be excluded if we aim to build a society based on mutual respect and peaceful coexistence. As the artist states, “it is this resemblance, this convergence, that should be emphasized—rather than the differences fueled by unproven speculations or fundamentalist claims.”

The figures, both mysterious and solemn, adopt a static, almost meditative posture. The artist describes them as “nine emissaries” who invite us to look, to respect differences, and to recognize what we all share: vulnerability, the longing for peace, and the search for meaning.This sculpture does not impose a closed interpretation: each person is free to read their own dialogue within it—between spirituality and humanism, otherness and harmony.

T.O.L.E.R.A.N.C.E. has been exhibited in highly symbolic venues such as the Monnaie de Paris, the Luxembourg Gardens, the Government Palace of Abu Dhabi, and the Esplanade du Prado in Carcassonne. Now, for the first time, it is being installed in Catalonia—in the Volunteer Square for the fight against Covid, in Palafrugell—as a symbol of dialogue and respect in a historical moment marked by polarization and social division.