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Rom Levy
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David Popa has shared a first look at Rebirth, a new land-art project created in the mountains of Norway. Working with chalk and charcoal on pale ground beside vividly blue water, the artist has made two images: a curled human figure and a winged creature. Over the following days, rising water brought an unexpected change to the work, covering the figure while leaving it visible beneath the surface.
The film moves between close views of Popa working and aerial shots that reveal the scale of the images. Seen from above, the figure follows the narrow strip of pale ground, its folded arms and bent body tucked into the shoreline. Dark shading gives the face and hands their volume, while the lighter areas remain close to the colour of the surface beneath them. The surrounding blue makes the monochrome drawing appear unusually delicate.
That change of viewpoint is central to the piece. At ground level, individual marks and the texture of the sand dominate. From the air, those fragments resolve into a body, and the small presence of the artist provides a sense of scale. The water also becomes part of the composition, enclosing the figure on either side.
The curled figure at the water’s edge. Still from David Popa’s film.
In the caption accompanying the film, Popa describes returning to the wilderness this autumn after spending the months following his March project, Renewal, preparing and sending editions. For Rebirth, he wanted to explore surrender and the possibility of being made new. He says the water’s rise was unplanned, and that seeing the drawing survive beneath the blue realised an image he had imagined for years.
The submerged close-up gives the portrait another surface. Ripples soften its contours, but the eyes, nose and mouth remain readable. Rather than presenting a single finished state, the film records a work passing through different conditions. Its eventual disappearance is already suggested by the water moving across it.
The portrait remains visible beneath the water. Still from David Popa’s film.
The project’s second work, a winged creature. Still from David Popa’s film.
The second image brings a different rhythm to the shoreline. Broad, patterned wings spread over the pale ground, with darker markings carrying across the uneven surface. The aerial views place both works back within the surrounding landscape, allowing the edges of the shore to frame them.
Born and raised in New York and now based in Finland, Popa draws on a background that connects painting, street art and muralism. His father, Albert Popa, was an early New York graffiti writer. In his own practice, Popa has taken figurative painting into remote outdoor settings, using natural pigments and water to create temporary works documented through photography and film.
Popa has also mentioned a forthcoming print collection connected to Rebirth, with further details still to be shared. For now, the film offers a first encounter with the project and the changes that followed its making.
Video and stills: David Popa. See the artist’s original film and caption and visit his website for more on his practice.
Watch: David Popa’s Rebirth in Norway. Video: David Popa.
A portrait shaped by its surroundings
The film moves between close views of Popa working and aerial shots that reveal the scale of the images. Seen from above, the figure follows the narrow strip of pale ground, its folded arms and bent body tucked into the shoreline. Dark shading gives the face and hands their volume, while the lighter areas remain close to the colour of the surface beneath them. The surrounding blue makes the monochrome drawing appear unusually delicate.
That change of viewpoint is central to the piece. At ground level, individual marks and the texture of the sand dominate. From the air, those fragments resolve into a body, and the small presence of the artist provides a sense of scale. The water also becomes part of the composition, enclosing the figure on either side.
The curled figure at the water’s edge. Still from David Popa’s film.
When the water becomes part of the work
In the caption accompanying the film, Popa describes returning to the wilderness this autumn after spending the months following his March project, Renewal, preparing and sending editions. For Rebirth, he wanted to explore surrender and the possibility of being made new. He says the water’s rise was unplanned, and that seeing the drawing survive beneath the blue realised an image he had imagined for years.
The submerged close-up gives the portrait another surface. Ripples soften its contours, but the eyes, nose and mouth remain readable. Rather than presenting a single finished state, the film records a work passing through different conditions. Its eventual disappearance is already suggested by the water moving across it.
The portrait remains visible beneath the water. Still from David Popa’s film.
The project’s second work, a winged creature. Still from David Popa’s film.
The second image brings a different rhythm to the shoreline. Broad, patterned wings spread over the pale ground, with darker markings carrying across the uneven surface. The aerial views place both works back within the surrounding landscape, allowing the edges of the shore to frame them.
Born and raised in New York and now based in Finland, Popa draws on a background that connects painting, street art and muralism. His father, Albert Popa, was an early New York graffiti writer. In his own practice, Popa has taken figurative painting into remote outdoor settings, using natural pigments and water to create temporary works documented through photography and film.
Popa has also mentioned a forthcoming print collection connected to Rebirth, with further details still to be shared. For now, the film offers a first encounter with the project and the changes that followed its making.
Video and stills: David Popa. See the artist’s original film and caption and visit his website for more on his practice.