VACATIO ANIMAE

Vacatio Animae is a sculptural exploration of the dream state, where beauty and mystery coexist beyond scientific understanding.

Crafted from polymer clay and painted with acrylics, the piece features a half-open human skull revealing an inner world. A dark pink-red pond, resembling flesh, flows within and outside the skull, blurring the boundary between sleep and awareness. The piece contrasts soft pastel colors on the skull’s exterior with vibrant reds and violets inside, reflecting the contrast between the known world and the vivid, surreal nature of the subconscious. An albino creature with three red eyes lurks beneath the water’s surface, symbolizing nightmares, while a small, fluffy creature with rabbit ears hides among lotus leaves, embodying innocence and peaceful dreams.

The title Vacatio Animae —the “vacation of the soul”— is inspired by Marsilio Ficino’s Theologia Platonica, which describes the soul’s temporary departure from the body during sleep, drawing closer to the divine.