Hamartanein (2008) – Deviation from the Center

The title Hamartanein, derived from Greek, signifies “to be displaced from the center”: to deviate, to miss the mark. In Pauline writings, the term denotes sin not as condemnation but as a human condition—an inherent distance from an ideal center.

The series is developed on magnetic discs, each structured as a circular world inscribed within another circular form. These nested configurations establish a system of visual stratification, where each image contains multiple nuclei and identities.

In Apple Net Rose, the cross-section of an apple transforms into a rose, a web, a nest, a circular saw, or a coin. A fried egg becomes a Christmas ornament, a sunflower, a wheel, lacework, or a crystal sphere. A ladybug reappears as a four-leaf clover, a gramophone, a lotus, a coin, or stained glass. Each form contains a center; yet each center remains unstable, shifting and reconfiguring.

The project included a participatory performance. Visitors were invited to stand on non-human footprints—bird claws, tiger paws, primate tracks—emphasizing instinctive deviation. Participants threw magnetic darts at the discs; achieving four perfect centers granted ownership of the work, though this outcome was intentionally improbable. Each missed throw left a visible mark on the surface.

These marks function as structural evidence rather than ornament. The work frames deviation as a recurring human condition: the center is pursued, rarely secured. Hamartanein operates as a visual and participatory inquiry into instability, orientation, and the persistent search for alignment.