VENI, VIDI, VICI - II

Mixed media on paper

With striking visual intensity, Veni, Vidi, Vici – II occupies a symbolic universe where history, violence, and power are evoked through both critical and poetic lenses. Executed in mixed media on paper, the piece constructs a complex narrative in which the viewer is confronted with the enduring emblems of imperial triumph and its concealed aftermath.

At the center of the composition stands a figure that merges the silhouette of a classical urn with the iconic form of the Winged Victory of Samothrace. This hybrid entity—faceless, armless, its wings fractured—evokes the cultural plundering and symbolic appropriation of classical art by colonial powers. It stands not as a monument to glory, but as a relic of conquest, stripped of its original meaning.

Surrounding this figure, a turbulent sea of skulls surges through stylized waves rendered with ornamental precision. The swirling motifs recall traditional engraving techniques, while the multitude of craniums speaks to the cost of so-called victory. Beauty and death coexist here in tension, with the seductive surface concealing deep undercurrents of chaos and trauma.

Above, a cascade of suspended fleur-de-lis—some golden, others corroded—rains down like relics or royal insignias caught in limbo. Historically associated with European monarchy, the fleur-de-lis becomes here a symbol of hierarchical power in decline. Their repetition and suspension transform them into ritualistic elements, hovering ambiguously between the sacred and the profane.

Collectively, the work delivers a visual critique of the glorified historical narratives authored by the victors. Referencing Julius Caesar’s infamous phrase—“I came, I saw, I conquered”—the title is steeped in irony. Rather than celebrating domination, it unveils its aftermath: death, repetition, and the aestheticization of violence.

Veni, Vidi, Vici – II is not merely an image; it is a field of visual and conceptual tensions. Every detail—from the texture of the paper to the glint of metallic gold—participates in an unsettling dialogue between past and present, glory and devastation.