Alessio Ceruti
An Italian artist who lives and works in a scenic diving town at the easternmost edge of Bali, Indonesia. He is a skilled diver and an environmentalist working for the preservation, conservation and restoration of coral reefs. These aquatic activities are the wellspring of his artistic inspiration and creativity.
Alessio started with photographing sea mammals and other ocean creatures, such as the magnificent jellyfish. Jellyfish have no brain, blood or heart. Their transparent body consists of “an outer layer, called the epidermis; a middle layer made of a thick, elastic, jelly-like substance called mesoglea; and an inner layer, called the gastrodermis.” (As described by the American National Ocean Service). The iconic shape of a jellyfish is a bell-like mushroom cap, with tentacles and oral arms which contain stinging cells.
His creative process starts with imprinting the picture of a jellyfish on a plexiglass sheet, that is softened with heat and shaped under the weight of dead corals placed under or above it. He carefully controls the amount of heat, temperature and the length of time. A back layer is added which is made opaque to reflect the light back to the viewer. An outer layer is created with a rather thick plexiglass sheet, that can be hand-painted in different colours, textures and hues. The result is a contoured/topological surface which reflects and refracts light; creating a spectacular reflection that also serves as a magical mirror.
Analogous to the jellyfish body, Alessio assembles three key layers to form a unique work of art: a 3D light journey that cannot be obtained otherwise, giving the illusion of a floating jellyfish with Fauvist colours.
His novel process creates interactions between the composite elements of photography, paint, and the dance of light on a topography created by gravity, heat and ingenuity. The viewers are hence transported and immersed into the magical artistic world of Ceruti’s mind.
Soemantri Widagdo
Over the Caspian Sea, 22 April 2024.
References:
1. What are jellyfish made of? – US National Ocean Service
2. The Anatomy of Jellyfish – Research Gate
