VENI, VIDI, VICI - I

Mixed media on paper

The first installment of a series that interrogates the foundational myths of power and victory, Veni, Vidi, Vici – I presents a visually dense and symbolic scene, where classical heroism, national identity, and the construction of historical narrative intertwine in a language both critical and seductive.

At the center of the composition stands a sculptural male figure, evoking the Greco-Roman canon, rising powerfully with an oar in hand. His posture suggests the archetype of the warrior or epic voyager. He is contained within a bowl-like vessel—possibly a chalice, helmet, or ceremonial crater—engraved with the iconic phrase VENI, VIDI, VICI. Here, history is not simply written, but held, consumed, or even ritualized, becoming a contested space within the artwork itself.

This vessel sails not on a naturalistic sea, but atop stylized waves rendered in swirling, decorative motifs. These patterns recall both classical aesthetics and popular print traditions. Amid the waves, a colorful rooster takes center stage—an ambivalent symbol. It may allude to France, to national pride, to arrogance, or to the dawn of new epochs. Its presence injects irony, subtly disrupting the triumphalist tone and introducing questions about identity and dominance.

Above, a constellation of vivid ink blots—yellows, reds, blues, and greens—float across the background. These suspended droplets, some bleeding into the page and others hanging from invisible threads, evoke chaos, spontaneity, or the subconscious spilling into the narrative. They serve as painterly interruptions—moments of rupture that resist linear storytelling and fixed meaning.

Veni, Vidi, Vici – I does not merely illustrate conquest; it reimagines and complicates it. What initially appears to be a scene of forward motion and heroic assertion becomes, upon closer inspection, a critical reflection on how history is shaped, commemorated, and mythologized. As the opening work of the series, it marks a departure point—a symbolic journey into the visual structures of power and the gestures through which it is performed.