We are both the Source and the Sea *
It is not the first time that i can identify multiple faces into the one main face, and i believe it is something that existed a lot through the ages of imagery / representation.
Which is obviously an attempt to express the different layers we have and levels of emotions we go through as we evolve, as well (i believe) as an illustration of some kind of divine / cosmic side we have … Understand, we Are not “only” the one we are. This is why it got (like most of the time) an antique feel to me … Like the roots of its meaning were to be found into this authentic era.
The whole character is featured with various colors and colors have a meaning, all the elements are there, the pink for flesh, green for grass, brown for soil, grey for stone, purple for spirit, blue for sky and water, yellow sun etc … as well as geometric forms, intertwined to form a whole. Once again, just like when you look into a microscope and what looked simple at first reveals its magical complexity and cooperating interactions.
The antique feel of it was also to be found in the character’s ornaments, looking like an ancient necklace or the kind of makeup i imagine you could find on actors from this period, translating various ranges of emotions (the eyes). The fact is each hands hold one side of a face, to eventually form One. It reminded me the ancient greek theater were one character had to play multiple roles by wearing masks. And i thought it was what we all do at different points of our life.
We show one face to the others, but this one face is made out of different sides we choose to enlighten / combine or not. In this way we play in our own drama, with more or less consciousness of what is going on. So here is what matters, … to be conscious of it. Once we are, we start to understand the meaning of the events happening to us and stop to fracture our One self into multiple slices of hurt ego.
So here is the title of the artwork “UNIVERSUS” … it means, to make one with our self, considering we have several sides too. The wordplay is easy, Universal-Versus-Us. Us: because of the sides we choose to show, Versus: because of the two faces facing each other to cooperate and make one: Universal.
Also, the word universus, literally means ” turned into one ” … This is the theme that always appears in the works i do, even if i don’t decide it … And this is logical since this is how Life becomes “lives” that turn into Life etc … like Reuniting fractured elements.