Wonderland Sculpture, Calgary (must see)

Calgary’s skyline curves just a little at The Bow, a crescent-shaped skyscraper that looks like it leaned into the wind and decided to stay that way. It’s a serious piece of architecture—so serious, in fact, that Azure Magazine once ranked it among the world’s top ten architectural projects. Still, most walking tours pause here for a reason that has nothing to do with offices or glass façades.

Right out front stands Wonderland Sculpture, a 39-foot-tall wire head created by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa. The sculpture represents a young girl, her face open and transparent, meant to suggest imagination, possibility, and the inner world of youth. It’s light, airy, and slightly surreal—like a thought bubble that escaped into the city.

Unlike most public sculptures, Wonderland invites you inside. Step through the wire framework and suddenly the city surrounds you from a different angle, as if you’re borrowing the viewpoint of all those dreams the artwork is meant to hold.

Set along 6th Avenue and only a short walk from Olympic Plaza, Wonderland is an easy stop—but one that tends to linger in memory. It’s proof that sometimes the most talked-about landmark isn’t the building reaching for the sky, but the artwork quietly watching it.