Swimming Pools

“Why Be Still?” at the Water Garden of Imaret
“Why Be Still?” at the Water Garden of Imaret
“Why Be Still?” at the Water Garden of Imaret
Why Be Still? [Aerial View] I
Why Be Still? [Aerial View] I

Arabesques on a Reflecting Pool
Imaret, Northern Greece, 2022
PVC, Paint, Wire, Rubber

Why Be Still? [Aerial View] I
Why Be Still? [Aerial View] II
Why Be Still? [Aerial View] II

Northern Greece, 2022

Why Be Still? [Aerial View] II
Why Be Still? [Perspective View]
Why Be Still? [Perspective View]

Why Be Still? is a thirty-five-piece floating installation specifically designed for the water garden of Imaret in Northern Greece. The arabesque motifs and color scale of the work are inspired by the decorative patterns of Islamic art and the ideas of contemplation and rejuvenation associated with the design of Islamic gardens. The pieces are loosely attached to each other so that the overall composition can follow the subtle motion of the water. A certain variability of the size, position, and shape of the work is deliberately planned as a way to praise motion and constant change.

Why Be Still? [Perspective View]
Why Be Still? [Night view]
Why Be Still? [Night view]

Imaret, Northern Greece, 2022

Why Be Still? [Night view]
Why Be Still? [Aerial View] III
Why Be Still? [Aerial View] III
Why Be Still? [Aerial View] III
Installing “Why Be Still?”
Installing “Why Be Still?”
Installing “Why Be Still?”
The Pool of Villa Empain
The Pool of Villa Empain

Villa Empain, 2021

The Pool of Villa Empain
The Dream
The Dream

Small-scale study made as part of a residency at the Villa Empain, Brussels, 2021

The Swimming Pool series began during a recent stay at the Villa Empain of the Boghossian Foundation in Brussels, Belgium. The Dream is a small scale site-specific handmade study that opened up the path for more complex elaborate designs. Contemplative personal experiences, the notion of movement, visual reminiscences, the underlying history and aesthetics of the surrounding architectural structures that host them are all present in one way or another in the Swimming Pool pieces. I have often taken my cues from favorite historical art movements such as Art Nouveau, Modernism or field painting—and, more recently, from Islamic art. As with my pictorial compositions, I see these floating works as an attempt to reimagine my connection with the notions of pleasure, playfulness and balance through modules that generate their own gravitational pull.

The Dream
The Dream I
The Dream I

Small-scale study made as part of a residency at the Villa Empain, Brussels, 2021

The Dream I
The Dream II
The Dream II

2021

The Dream II