‘Forces of Fate 1’, 2025.
Acrylic and structure paste on canvas,
60 x 60 cm.

This piece, inspired by the PhD research of Dr. Magdalena Schindler in Dr. Nicoletta Petridou’s lab, represents a top view of an early zebrafish embryo, conceived as a self-contained universe where developmental forces are revealed in all their intensity. The palette combines ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow, deep cadmium red, and ivory. The painting is highly dynamic, although the colors at the center of the composition remain calm and delicate.

The composition is radial, and the embryo at its center recalls both the heart of an inflorescence, with petals radiating outward, and a distant planet suspended in space, evoking the potentiality and exuberance of biological creation. An intensified blue tonality surrounds this core, softening contours and generating a sensation of blur that disrupts fixed perception. This chromatic haze draws the viewer inward, gently forcing immersion into the embryo and transforming observation into embodied experience.

Within this living landscape, two distinct cellular generations become visible. The larger C13 cells, rendered in red, are depicted in various stages of division and subtly echo the visual language of Australian Aboriginal art through their dotted, rhythmic forms. Interwoven among them are the C14 cells, painted in yellow and ivory and textured using granulated structure paste, which gives them a tactile appearance and differentiates them from the C13 cells. At the very center, enclosed within an imagined square, a connectivity map alludes to the invisible networks guiding cellular communication and fate.

In Forces of Fate 1, cellular division, connectivity, rigidity, and generational shift become visual metaphors for biogenesis and cellular fate, inviting contemplation of the forces that shape life from its origins.