Maritza Caneca

“Geometric Blue”. The intricate reflections of light over the body of water mingle with each other over the blue tiles portrayed in Maritza Caneca’s photograph. A royal blue rhombus is centered in the image, and is met by two other shapes with different shades of the same color. The geometrical rigidity of the pattern on the bottom is evident, yet the traces of light over the moving water contrast it with fluidity, motion and weightlessness.
While every image is the same, each piece comes with a unique intervention made from geometric cutouts that create small portals into other spaces. One, two or more cutouts can be found over the image, whether imitating the iconic rhombus shape or in circular form. The image taken from the bottom of a pool in Copacabana Palace is base for the edition entitled “Geometric Blue”.
Copacabana Palace is a Brazilian landmark known to be the most traditional and luxurious hotel in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Caneca’s birthplace. The image was taken in 2017, just before the area was closed down for renovations.
To photograph pools, and to bring them to a public, is often a way to explicit an intimate and personal setting of a home. In this case, while the pool is well known, it is only accessible to those who stay at the hotel or are able to afford its entry. Hence, to create an edition out of it is to give access to this space and its history through mobility and multiplicity.