The Light Caves
PAST - PRESENT - FUTURE
Hydraulic Buon-Fresco
- pigmented lime plaster on wood and steel supports -
280 x 180 cm
The Light Caves explore illumination within the dark unknown of the subconscious. They are instinctive attempts to give form to sensations and emotions that lie beneath the surface—approached without the intention of design, they are portals for the imagination of both the artist and spectator.
Structured as a triptych, the format evokes spiritual and temporal symbolism: black and white suggest a fading past and unreachable future; colour representing the vivid, present moment.
These megalithic arches were created as the final project of Haseler’s seven-year residency at The Workshop, London, and mark the first major body of work using a self-developed technique: hydraulic buon fresco. Rooted in the ancient fresco method—where pigments are absorbed into wet lime plaster—Haseler reinvents the process using compressed air and water to push pigment in natural currents, emulating stone veins.
This innovation draws parallels between the survival of Paleolithic cave paintings and modern street art. Just as spray paint revolutionised urban expression, hydraulic buon fresco re-engages with humanity’s oldest medium through a contemporary lens— blending tradition, technology, and sustainability.
Each panel was painted in a single day (giornata), capturing the immediacy of feeling and psychological intensity in one irreversible gesture. The result is a meditation on time, nature, and the arc of human expression—from our first marks to our latest.
Are we reinventing the wheel, or simply reminded that it still turns?
Thank you for engaging with The Light Caves.
I am currently seeking exhibition opportunities and a permanent home for this work.