Babylon
Sunrise in Babylon, the first work in the series, offers a visual experience in which ancient history intersects with contemporary architectural forms. A gigantic skyscraper occupies the centre of the canvas. Its mirrored surface becomes a portal between eras, reflecting both a pyramid—a symbol of ancient civilisation and Babylon’s grandeur—and the World Trade Center towers, iconic structures of modernity. This reflection invites profound contemplation of time, progress and the catastrophic events associated with them.
The sun rising above the pyramid symbolises a new day and a new beginning. Yet within the mirrored surface it also illuminates the two towers, introducing a duality: on one hand, light represents renewal, hope and aspiration towards the future; on the other, it may allude to tragedy and destruction, to the impermanence of human creativity, when great achievements can be destroyed in the blink of an eye. The painting thus not only connects past and future but also asks what civilisation brings: destruction or rebirth.
The architectural elements and the rigorous geometry of lines and structures intensify this symbolism, giving the composition depth and multiple layers. Visual vibration from line to line and colour to colour creates a sense of transition and movement. We seem to pass through layers of time, where every era leaves its trace and all coexist on the canvas. The skyscraper’s mirror acts as a membrane reaching into past, present and future.
The choice of a pyramid in the context of sunrise evokes ancient civilisations striving for higher knowledge, the divine and the stars. Babylon, a symbol of humanity’s grandeur and ambition, resonates perfectly with modern skyscrapers. The Tower of Babel and the World Trade Center towers represent the extremes of humanity’s quest for height, both physical and spiritual, while also revealing its fragility.
The artist uses bright, contrasting colours to convey the energy of the rising sun and the life awakening with it. Orange and yellow tones lend warmth, while their abrupt transition into cool greens and blues creates an interplay of light and shadow, emphasising both the physical and metaphysical nature of light in this work.
Sunrise in Babylon can thus be seen as a meditation on rebirth, the cyclical nature of time and the way the past inevitably finds its reflection in the present. Combining two extremes—the ambitions of ancient Babylon and the tragedy of the Twin Towers—in a single image, the painting asks profound questions about where humanity is heading.
