At first glance, a single eye emerges from the darkness of a rocky grotto. Yet the longer one looks, the more the image begins to reveal itself.
Within the iris, fragments of another world slowly appear: waves breaking against distant rocks, a small boat crossing the water, reflections of light, and an opening toward the sea beyond. Below, the eye reflects itself in the still water of the cave, creating a quiet dialogue between what is seen and what is remembered.
The painting explores one of the central themes of the series The Memory of Becoming: the subtle boundary between ourselves and the world around us. We observe nature, yet nature shapes the way we see. We reflect the landscape, and the landscape reflects us. The line between observer and observed becomes less certain.
As details gradually emerge from the painting, a question begins to surface:
Who is looking at whom?
Is the eye gazing toward the sea, or is the sea looking back through the eye?
Built with layers of oil paint, textured structural materials, and gold leaf, the surface carries a tactile, mineral quality reminiscent of stone shaped by water over time. Metallic accents catch the light and shift throughout the day, revealing new nuances and details as viewing conditions change.
