Sacred Waters | पवित्र पानी
The Ganga and Godavari rivers feature the largest gathering of humanity every three years when literally tens of millions of visitors bathe in them peacefully and reverentially, in accordance with Hindu tradition for Kumbh Mela. People join religious discussion, sing, and see some of the most revered holy men and holy women there.
Import it to Barcelona, Spain and this image feels out of context. The sadhu (or saddhu) is a religious monk – a sacred holy man in India. But how did he get here for the month of November?
Ivan Floro. “Sacred Waters”. Contorno Urbano Foundation/12 + 1 Project. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Clara Antón)
Artist Ivan Floro says he was considering the Hindu lights festival Diwali and the holy practice of bathing when he was creating his wall for the Centre Cívic Cotxeres Borrell. He calls it “Sacred Waters | पवित्र पानी” and his academic interpretation of his work is an evolution from his graffiti work as kid spraying abandoned factories. Now he studies the old European master painters and those traditions, bringing to fore this powerful piece that may be confusing to some who don’t know about the bathing holy practice thousands of miles from Barcelona.
“I thought about the clash of cultures there is between East and West,” he says, “how they understand life and death. We celebrate some of their rituals, but we could be shocked buy some others”.
Ivan Floro. “Sacred Waters”. Contorno Urbano Foundation/12 + 1 Project. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Clara Antón)
Ivan Floro. “Sacred Waters”. Contorno Urbano Foundation/12 + 1 Project. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Clara Antón)
This wall was produced with the Contorno Urbano Foundation – 12 + 1 Project.
Other Articles You May Like from BSA:
Welcome to BSA Images of the Week! Nobody was out Friday night when we went to see "Stop Making Sense" on the screen; the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn at 10 pm were rather lightly atten...
Berlin’s notorious 1UP Crew hits Ridgewood Saturday night along with graffiti/Street Art patron saint Martha Cooper to celebrate the first city in their US tour for their new book with co-shooter Ninj...
From the country with the highest standard of living comes a country-wide mural festival called UPEA for 2017! Only in their second year, they are going big here at home. Messy Desk. UPEA Festival ...
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities. Now screening:1. Dyva & Haeck painting on the Molotow traTheo Jansen: Strandbeest2. AMERICAN DREAM. America...
What visit to Berlin is complete without a train adorned with a 1UP piece? 1UP Crew in Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo) Chased since 2003, this anonymous amorphous and acrobatic aerosol crew has a...