Service, Not Self draws inspiration from the Native American story of the kolibri, who once saved a forest from a devastating fire. As the fire raged, all the animals fled, but the kolibri, undeterred, flew toward the flames. The puma, seeing this, called out, “You are going the wrong way!”
The kolibri replied, “I am taking water in my beak to put out the fire.”
The puma, puzzled, asked, “But your beak is too small! You cannot possibly succeed.”
“I know my beak is small,” said the kolibri, “but this forest is my home, my shelter, my life. I must do my part.”
Moved by the kolibri’s words, the gods sent down a great rain, and the forest was saved.
Service, Not Self is a breathing sculptural installation created from 5 tons of Belgian clay. Hand-built over two weeks, the construction process involved moving each clay brick one by one to form a circular structure. This process was not only physical but meditative and performative.
The clay construction breathes with its environment, adapting to the temperature. On hot days, it cools the interior; on cold days, it warms it. Standing within this circular structure, the sculpture interacts with your body, engaging your senses through its scent, humidity, and temperature, inviting reflection on our interconnectedness with nature as our home.
This installation is impermanent: the clay was rented and was reused to create terracotta shelters.
Service, Not Self serves as a reminder: no matter how small our actions may seem, we each have a part to play.
Corps Etranger is a cinematic exploration of proximity and distance, focusing on the body, its boundaries, and its capacity for expansion. It serves as an intimate manifesto of unity, challenging the separation between self and other, the external and internal.
This film delves into the fluidity of human connection and the space we occupy within the world. Through its visual language, Corps Etranger invites the viewer to question the borders we construct physically, emotionally, and socially and to embrace the interconnectedness that defines our shared existence.
At its core, Corps Etranger is a reflection on the potential of the body to transcend limitations, to reach beyond its familiar contours, and to form a deeper bond with the world around it.
Animal Vessels is an ongoing series of drawings, born in the serene mountains of Aracena. Every animal I encountered became a subject of my work, each one captured with care and reverence. The smallest of these was the zebra spider, no larger than 2mm, which I found sitting on my breakfast plate one morning.
Animals are the silent wisdom keepers of nature, holding knowledge in their very being. Through these drawings, I seek to honor their presence and the quiet strength they carry.
The Sea, The Clouds, The Rocks, The Water.
“Undress yourself
for centuries, there have been no miracles.
Undress yourself,
I am mute. And your body knows all languages.”
Nizar Qabbani
Dual Gaze: The Balance of Inner and Outer Landscapes
For the 100-year celebration of the Olympic Games in Antwerp, the city invited me to create an artwork.
I designed two intercommunicating circles inspired by the concept of a tribune. A tribune directs the gaze toward one point, which I used as a starting point.
From there, I created one circle that turns the focus inward and another that directs it outward.
These two circles symbolize the delicate balance between looking inward to reflect and looking outward to engage with the world around us.
Just like flowers or plants in nature, we too have moments where we open and close, turning in and out, connecting with both our inner and outer landscapes.