There are 3 moments of extraordinary lightness when one dives. First the impulse to rise in the air. Then this micro second when we don’t go up anymore, but don’t go down yet. This moment when the gravity hypothesis could be questioned. This precise instant when we fly which so fascinates the painter and brilliant dancer Darvish Fakhr.

Then comes the encounter with the surface. The transition form gas to liquid. The slap of freshness. An immersion reflex sets in immediately. It’s called “The master switch of life” by scientists. The moment our face comes into contact with water, the metamorphosis begins. The blood goes back to hands and feet, the heartbeat slows down by 25% compared to normal. We are simply preparing to become a little more of an aquatic animal and a little less terrestrial.

Finally, we are below. The opaque silence after the big splash. All the noises in the world are canceled … In total lightness. We fly in zero gravity. The longer we stay, the more our mind enters a state of meditation. I feel so good underwater that when I was a child, I dreamed of finding a way to breathe naturally there. Stay there indefinitely. There is so much to observe in complete tranquility. It is so relaxing.

The process of building up this painting actually looked like an entry into meditation. I plunged into it with a first coat of orange monochrome brush drawing. Then I coated blue in several thin layers. Finally I spent hours sculpting the bluish shapes of these clouds of underwater foam. And it was at this stage that I myself entered into meditation. There was something quite hypnotic about it: add a little pink, come back with a slight hint of gray, intensify with blue, make the light pop with pure white. Each brushstroke changed the shape and lightness of the cloud. I loved it !