Guardians

We are not separate from the sea — we are part of its breath. Guardians is a mural that reflects the intertwined relationship between human beings and the marine environment. At its center, a female figure merges with the sea, veiled in saltwater and foam. She does not gaze from the shore but lives within the ocean, embodying care, attention, and interconnectedness. The work was conceived during the Art4Sea residency on Ustica, shaped by direct contact with the island’s community and the Ustica Marine Protected Area. It tells the story of a shared responsibility, where protection is not distant or abstract, but personal and embodied. At the heart of the mural lies Posidonia oceanica — a vital Mediterranean seagrass, both life source and ecological sentinel. Through scale and symbolism, the mural invites us to shift our gaze: from spectators to protectors, from users to allies of the sea. It is a call to remember that safeguarding the ocean is not only an act of environmental care, but of self-preservation.