The Shape of Cosmos
Geometric shapes, especially straight lines, are rare in living underwater nature. What we create often stands in contrast to what is natural. This series, with its straight, plastic figures in artificial colors, captured in the weightlessness of the underwater cosmos during scuba dives, illustrates how human creations are foreign to the natural world, emphasizing the divide between the artificial and the organic.
The surreal, artificial shapes seen here suggest a future that may come if we continue to disregard our connection with nature. Their abstract, sometimes starship-like forms hint at a world where synthetic creations replace living ecosystems. Instead of reaching for the stars, we may be surrounded by drifting plastic shaped by our own neglect. This vision invites reflection on how we treat the planet and the kind of future our actions are shaping.
The Shape of Cosmos #1
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The Shape of Cosmos #2
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The Shape of Cosmos #5
The Shape of Cosmos #6
Available sizes
- 16 x 12 in (40 x 30 cm), Edition of 12 + 2 AP
- 32 x 24 in (80 x 60 cm), Edition of 6 + 2 AP
- 47 x 35 in (120 x 90 cm), Edition of 3 + 2 AP
Aesthetica Magazine wrote:
"There are no straight lines or sharp corners in nature," is a famous quote attributed to the architect Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926). The same idea - of human-built constructions in contrast to organic forms - underpins The Shape of Cosmos, the new series from Ukrainian-German diver and photographer Alexej Sachov (b. 1972). "Geometric shapes are rare underwater," the artist says. "This series, with its straight, plastic figures in artificial colours, captured in weightlessness during scuba dives, illustrates how human creations are foreign to the natural world." Here, we see fluorescent shapes - triangles, circles and rectangles - floating in a dark sea of stars, pulling together and drifting apart in many different configurations. Across his various bodies of work, all produced beneath the waves, Sachov envisions a world where synthetic objects and pollutants replace living ecosystems. This is an invitation to reflect on how we treat the planet - and the kind of future our actions are shaping.