MARE MAGNVM SERIES
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12 Channel Video Installation
30 minutes
60 x 60 x 10 feet / 1829 x 1829 x 305 cm
2021 - 2024
MARE MAGNVM is a panoramic installation featuring a stylized, monochromatic sea populated by 14 boats, each with its own unique collection of characters caught in a perpetual loop of movement. Every 30 minutes, the characters arrive back where they began, only to continue on endlessly. The installation is accompanied by an ambient cello composition, amplifying the weight of the scene. The characters are larger than life-size, standing frozen in their stances, with some men, some women, some elderly, and some pregnant. Their boats are constructed of various found objects, like wood, oil drums, and tires, pointing to real-life scenes of migration across bodies of water.The name MARE MAGNVM comes from the Latin for Great Sea, a term used by the Romans to describe the Mediterranean. However, the word mare has a more complicated history, also being associated with evil spirits and terrors in various cultures, including Old English and Old Irish. Today, the waters of the Mediterranean and other sites of mass human movement reflect an ongoing horror, as millions of migrants flee war, instability, and climate change. MARE MAGNVM does not refer to a single event or wave of migration, but rather expands our view to encompass the migrant experience as a whole. Through its panoramic experience, the installation forces viewers to confront the all-encompassing struggle of crossing borders in our times, reminding us of a future where rising waters will push unprecedented numbers of people away from the places they call home. MARE MAGNVM both describes a reality that is already here and reads it as an omen of one that is soon to come.
Mare Magnvm: A Floridian Odyssey, USF Contemporary Art Museum, St. Petersburg, FL , USA - 2024
Mare Magnvm, Sabrina Amrani Gallery, Madrid, Spain - 2021
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NFT
1920 x 1080 px
2022MARE MAGNVM: VLTRAMARINI [Those Beyond The Sea] takes the captivating journey of the MARE MAGNVM series into the realm of NFTs, providing a unique and engaging way to experience the continuing odyssey of the masked travelers. This exclusive collection of 15 limited-edition NFTs acts as a bridge between the previous installments of this saga, MARE MAGNVM and MARE MAGNVM: La Llegada, offering a glimpse into an event that has held immense significance for humanity throughout history—landfall.
VLTRAMARINI, which means "those beyond the sea," takes us on the next step of this journey, expanding the world of MARE MAGNVM. This limited-edition NFT collection consists of 15 unique images that show the passengers arriving at a coastline. Together, they form a sprawling panorama of their landfall. This moment, fraught with danger but still teeming with triumph, is depicted from various perspectives, showing the variety of experiences tied into the same event.
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Archival pigment print
7.5 × 5.75 inches / 19 x 14.5 cm
2021MARE MAGNVM: La llegada (The Arrival) is a striking photographic series that addresses the universal and timely issue of migration. The series features characters wearing papier-mâché masks, each of which covers their faces, making them appear as archetypal representatives of any diasporic population. The characters' identities are obscured, emphasizing the universality of the migrant experience, and each photograph is stamped with a number, evoking the process of being processed by an immigration entity.
The lack of specificity in the characters' appearance is a deliberate choice by the artist to draw attention to the humanity behind migration. The photographs do not depict a specific time or place, but instead, they offer a timeless representation of migration across bodies of water, from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean and beyond.
Through this series, the artist prompts the viewer to consider the experiences of migrants who undertake perilous journeys in search of a better life. The lack of information about the characters' origin and personal history invites the viewer to project their own experiences onto the photographs, fostering a deeper empathy and understanding of the challenges faced by migrants.
MARE MAGNVM: La llegada (The Arrival) is not only a powerful visual commentary on the current reality of migration, but it also serves as a warning of the challenges that lie ahead. The photographs stamped with numbers evoke the harsh reality of being processed by immigration entities, reminding us of the often-dehumanizing treatment of migrants.
MARE MAGNVM: La llegada, Sabrina Amrani Gallery, Madrid, Spain, 2021