Costas Spathis’ Jewelry Box (2024, Photography) transforms a summer scene of swimmers and inflatables into a dazzling aerial mosaic of color, shape, and rhythm. Viewed from above, the composition captures a lively collection of people floating among inflatable rings, swans, flamingos, shells, and other whimsical shapes, their candy-like hues scattered across the shimmering water like jewels in a case.

The repetition of circular forms, especially the abundance of pink floats, creates a visual pattern that feels both playful and meticulously arranged, despite the randomness of human leisure. The translucent water beneath, rippling with light, acts as a luminous backdrop, heightening the sense of sparkle and movement that aligns with the work’s title.

In Jewelry Box, Spathis continues his exploration of minimalism and maximalism in aerial perspective—flattening reality into abstraction while retaining the spontaneity of lived experience. What might be a chaotic beach day is reframed as an exquisite, curated tableau, where humans and objects become elements of design. The result is a work that captures both the joy of summer leisure and the precision of visual art, turning the ordinary into something precious, vibrant, and enduring.