PROJECTS > ABYSSUS ABYSSUM INVOCAT

ABYSSUS ABYSSUM INVOCAT takes its title from the Latin translation of a phrase in Psalm 42: “Deep calls to deep.” But it also echoes Nietzsche’s cautionary aphorism: “For when you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.”

This piece explores the idea that when we encounter powerful forces beyond our control, we may find the resources deep within ourselves to meet the challenge — or we may be overwhelmed.

The image centers on the head of a 1st-century Roman marble statue of Venus — now in the collection of the Musee Saint-Raymond in Toulouse, France — that hovers between two vast concrete walls receding into darkness. This apparition of radiant, timeless beauty emerging toward the viewer from unseen depths creates a sense of tension and mystery.

ABYSSUS ABYSSUM INVOCAT was produced as an edition of 30 anaglyph 3D photographic prints. It was featured in “Celestial Opera, Human Cathedrals” at Paradice Palase in Brooklyn, NY, in August 2020, and “Out of the Dark” at House of Shadows Gallery in Tampa, FL, in May and June 2021.