ODE TO THE SEA

“There's sea […]
Says yes
Then no
Then no again
And no
Says yes
In blue
In sea spray
Raging
Says no
And no again.
It can't be still.
It stammers
My name is sea.
It slaps the rocks
And when they aren't convinced
Strokes them
And smothers them with kisses”. […]

Pablo Neruda, Ode to the Sea

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MAX PIVA
Just a few years ago, Max Piva (*1984, Biella, Italy) was counted among the „Young Wild Ones shaking up Vienna.“ Today, the photographer and painter can look back on an extensive body of work, highly regarded by both art collectors and critics alike.

What unites all of his creations is his approach to the mediums he uses—seeing them merely as „means to an end“ in expressing his visions and his deeply personal perspective on the world.

The Italian-born artist, now living in Portugal, has also transformed his love for the sea into an extraordinary photo series. For his „Ode to the Sea,“ first exhibited at Nova Nova, he spent countless hours in the churning waters, capturing the raw energy and superhuman force of the waves with his camera.

In the resulting long-exposure shots, the antagonistic play of motion and resistance morphs into abstract works of art, where the fountains of spray bursting from the foam resemble bold brushstrokes on a canvas.

JOHN SEVERSON (1933 – 2017)
Numerous sports(wo)men like to consider their disciplines as artforms. But when sport is more than a pastime, namely a way of life, it can become art. John Severson's work is a dynamic, colourful example thereof.