BLOOM BREAK

Bloom Break continues Cesar Cueva’s exploration of fracture, symmetry, and pattern as languages of both material and psyche.

Here, mirrored forms are stilled into archive, yet alive with colour and motion. Each work is catalogued like a natural history specimen, numbered, named, and described but instead of insects or minerals, what is pinned here are states of being.

What began as an investigation of the artist’s own psyche becomes an atlas for others. In these fractures and blooms, viewers are invited to recognise themselves: resilience, fragility, memory, exuberance. Together they form a wunderkammer of archetypal portraits, where the self is both specimen and mirror.

The exhibition also acts as a precursor to future projects. The archetypal forms of Bloom Break will evolve into mask-works for Maskerade (FearFest 2025), and later expand in Crossing the Line (Sevenmarks Gallery, 2025) before culminating in the major solo exhibition Cabinet of Psyche (2026).

Selected works

Aurum Transfiguratum — The Transfigured Gold

Aurum Transfiguratum — Latin for “transfigured gold” — belongs to the Family of Crystal Forms. Its mirrored arcs rise in golden symmetry, amber drops anchor below, and the entire form shimmers with the suggestion of molten metal captured mid-cooling. It recalls both crystalline growth and alchemical transformation, where matter shifts into new states of being.
Within the Bloom Break archive, this archetype speaks to transfiguration. Just as heat and fracture turn raw ore into metal, and inclusions lend uniqueness to crystals, so too does the psyche transform through pressure and fire. The Transfigured Gold reminds us that endurance through fracture is not merely survival, but the potential to emerge altered, refined, radiant. It is the glimmer of resilience — the soul’s own metallurgy.
Archival pigment print on cotton rag · 450 × 450 mm · Unframed
Edition of 33

Axis Anima — The Axis of the Soul

Axis Anima — Latin for “axis of the soul” — belongs to the Family of Vessel Forms. Its mirrored composition arranges itself around a red circle at the heart, a central node of stillness. Black arcs rise and descend, red shapes flare in tension, while pale pink bands soften the symmetry, preventing rigidity. Together, these elements create a sense of rotation and grounding, as though everything pivots on the centre.
In the Bloom Break archive, this archetype speaks to orientation — the need for a fixed point when the psyche fractures. Like minerals structured along a crystalline axis, or planets revolving around a core, The Axis of the Soul suggests that amid turbulence there remains a line of balance. To encounter it is to recognise the value of anchoring: the point that holds us steady as other forces move around us.
Within the Bloom Break archive, this archetype speaks to transfiguration. Just as heat and fracture turn raw ore into metal, and inclusions lend uniqueness to crystals, so too does the psyche transform through pressure and fire. The Transfigured Gold reminds us that endurance through fracture is not merely survival, but the potential to emerge altered, refined, radiant. It is the glimmer of resilience — the soul’s own metallurgy.
Archival pigment print on cotton rag · 450 × 450 mm · Unframed
Edition of 33

Clamor Internus — The Inner Cry

Clamor Internus — Latin for “inner cry” — belongs to the Family of Echo Traces, where sound and resonance are carried in visual form. Its mirrored pattern suggests a face in anguish: red arcs flare above, golden brows strain, blue shadows weigh heavy, while pink rivulets fall like tears. At its core, black ovals form an open mouth and dark traces, anchoring the cry in silence and fracture.
Within the Bloom Break archive, this archetype embodies the psyche’s need to release what is carried within. Just as minerals fracture under pressure, or echoes repeat long after the original sound, The Inner Cry resonates through its form. It reminds us that grief, pain, and vulnerability are not flaws but essential expressions of being human — states that, once revealed, allow renewal. To encounter Clamor Internus is to hear a silent cry, one that echoes beyond itself.
Archival pigment print on cotton rag · 450 × 450 mm · Unframed
Edition of 33

Cor-Tenebris_The-Shadowed-Heart

Cor Tenebris — Latin for “shadowed heart” — belongs to the Family of Vessel Forms. It recalls the structure of an organ, yet fractured into mirrored arcs. Red crowns rise as vital force, crimson chambers suggest depth, and shadowed green coils anchor the form with weight. Pale wings hover in between, bridging the heart to breath.
Within the Bloom Break series, this archetype embodies the psyche’s most vulnerable core: a heart that carries both clarity and shadow. In mineral terms, inclusions darken the crystal but also define its uniqueness. So too in life, the hidden and difficult experiences become part of what makes us whole. To encounter The Shadowed Heart is to see how fracture and darkness do not extinguish vitality, but deepen it.
Within the Bloom Break archive, this archetype speaks to transfiguration. Just as heat and fracture turn raw ore into metal, and inclusions lend uniqueness to crystals, so too does the psyche transform through pressure and fire. The Transfigured Gold reminds us that endurance through fracture is not merely survival, but the potential to emerge altered, refined, radiant. It is the glimmer of resilience — the soul’s own metallurgy.
Archival pigment print on cotton rag · 450 × 450 mm · Unframed
Edition of 33

Crown-of-Amethyst_The-Veiled-Oracle

Crown of Amethyst — “the veiled oracle” — belongs to the Family of Mask Forms, where mirrored visages suggest presence both hidden and revealed. Its composition layers shades of amethyst: violet crests at the crown, purple arcs suggesting brows or wings, pink and lilac folds softening into cheeks, and a central pale veil offering both barrier and light. Beneath it, a dark base grounds the form in depth.
In the Bloom Break archive, this archetype speaks to veiled knowledge. Just as amethyst crystals reveal colour through fracture and light, so too does the psyche reveal only part of what it carries. The Veiled Oracle is not about prediction but about resonance — the reminder that within each of us lies wisdom obscured, insight fractured, vision clouded yet glimmering. To stand before it is to feel the pull of mystery, of meaning glimpsed but not fully grasped.
In the Bloom Break archive, this archetype speaks to orientation — the need for a fixed point when the psyche fractures. Like minerals structured along a crystalline axis, or planets revolving around a core, The Axis of the Soul suggests that amid turbulence there remains a line of balance. To encounter it is to recognise the value of anchoring: the point that holds us steady as other forces move around us.
Within the Bloom Break archive, this archetype speaks to transfiguration. Just as heat and fracture turn raw ore into metal, and inclusions lend uniqueness to crystals, so too does the psyche transform through pressure and fire. The Transfigured Gold reminds us that endurance through fracture is not merely survival, but the potential to emerge altered, refined, radiant. It is the glimmer of resilience — the soul’s own metallurgy.
Archival pigment print on cotton rag · 450 × 450 mm · Unframed
Edition of 33

Crown-of-Ore_The-Mineral-Authority

Crown of Ore — “the mineral authority” — belongs to the Family of Crystal Forms, where composition is forged by pressure, heat, and fracture. Its mirrored structure ascends like regalia: rust-red arcs forming the crown, golden bands reinforcing its core, teal layers flowing outward, and deep blue roots anchoring below. At the centre, a crimson crest steadies the whole form, a keystone of balance and weight.
In the Bloom Break archive, this archetype speaks to the authority that emerges from endurance. Ore is not raw; it is compressed, shaped, and mined from depth. Likewise, the psyche’s authority is not given but earned — formed through struggle, fracture, and survival. The Mineral Authority reminds us that within pressure lies the possibility of sovereignty, the dignity of structure born from intensity. It is not only beauty but weight, the mineral truth of being.
Within the Bloom Break archive, this archetype embodies the psyche’s need to release what is carried within. Just as minerals fracture under pressure, or echoes repeat long after the original sound, The Inner Cry resonates through its form. It reminds us that grief, pain, and vulnerability are not flaws but essential expressions of being human — states that, once revealed, allow renewal. To encounter Clamor Internus is to hear a silent cry, one that echoes beyond itself.
Archival pigment print on cotton rag · 450 × 450 mm · Unframed
Edition of 33

Cyclum Vitae — The Cycle of Lifeument

Cyclum Vitae — Latin for “cycle of life” — belongs to the Family of Organic Hybrids, where forms echo nature’s rhythms of unfolding. Its mirrored composition suggests a butterfly or bloom: green arcs as canopy, yellow cores glowing like seeds, red wings stretching outward in vitality, and pink foundations rooting below. At the axis, the form reads as both symmetry and passage — a cycle forever returning to itself.
In the Bloom Break archive, this archetype captures the inevitability of change. Just as minerals fracture and reform, or seasons turn, the psyche too moves through patterns of emergence, decline, and renewal. The Cycle of Life is not static; it reminds us that fracture does not end the form but propels its transformation. To encounter it is to witness the looping nature of being — every ending carrying within it the seed of beginning.
Archival pigment print on cotton rag · 450 × 450 mm · Unframed
Edition of 33

Duplicitas — The Double Face

Duplicitas — Latin for “double” — belongs to the Family of Mask Forms, where identity is refracted through mirrored surfaces. Its composition suggests a mask, but not a singular one: green arcs shadow the gaze, golden brows rise in symmetry, while red mirrored jaws confront each other in tense reflection. Pink flares soften the outline, yet also complicate the symmetry, as though two selves are caught in uneasy conversation.
In the Bloom Break series, this archetype embodies the fractured psyche that must carry more than one truth. Masks are never only concealments; they are also performances and projections. The Double Face asks: which face do we show, and which do we withhold? Like minerals with twin growths, the psyche too may carry duality as part of its structure. To meet Duplicitas is to glimpse the selves that exist side by side, uneasy yet inseparable.
Archival pigment print on cotton rag · 450 × 450 mm · Unframed
Edition of 33

Exundantia — The Overflowing

Exundantia — Latin for “overflowing” — belongs to the Family of Fracture Blooms, where forms burst outward rather than remain contained. Its mirrored pattern surges in every direction: maroon arcs stretch like flames, teal currents cascade, golden bursts flare, and green-black drops pool below. Pink rivulets round the composition, reminding us that what overflows can nourish as much as it unsettles.
Within the Bloom Break archive, this archetype speaks to the psyche’s abundance — those moments when emotions, memories, or creativity cannot be contained. Minerals too form through processes of pressure and release; fracture becomes the condition for growth. The Overflowing reminds us that excess is not failure, but energy made visible: the self spilling beyond its boundaries into connection, expression, and renewal.
Archival pigment print on cotton rag · 450 × 450 mm · Unframed
Edition of 33

Flamma Aeterna — The Eternal Flame

Flamma Aeterna — Latin for “eternal flame” — belongs to the Family of Vessel Forms. Its mirrored design recalls a torch or candelabrum: crimson plumes crown the top, orange arcs flare outward, golden embers settle below, and at the centre a singular flame rises upright. Beneath it, a drop of deep red anchors the composition, the ember that refuses to fade.
In the Bloom Break archive, this archetype represents constancy amid fracture. Just as minerals are formed under relentless heat, or memory burns itself into the psyche, so too does the flame endure beyond the moment. The Eternal Flame reminds us that not all fire is destructive — some is carried quietly, a light that persists across shadow and time. It is the fire of resilience, devotion, and spirit that does not extinguish.
Archival pigment print on cotton rag · 450 × 450 mm · Unframed
Edition of 33

Gemini Root — The Split Flame

Gemini Root — “the split flame” — belongs to the Family of Fracture Blooms, where mirrored forms express tension between unity and rupture. Its composition balances contrasts: black arcs rise as shadow, green bands ground the centre like stems or branches, while red flames split below into doubled drops. Together they form a mirrored figure that is at once anchored and divided.
In the Bloom Break archive, this archetype speaks to duality — the divided nature of identity, passion, and choice. Just as crystals sometimes grow in twinned forms, or fire splits into separate tongues, the psyche too can carry two flames at once. The Split Flame reminds us that fracture does not always mean loss; sometimes it is the multiplication of force, the doubling of potential. It is a study of holding contradiction — two roots, two fires, one self.
Archival pigment print on cotton rag · 450 × 450 mm · Unframed
Edition of 33

Ignis Interior — The Inner Flame-2

Ignis Interior, the “inner flame,” belongs to the Family of Vessel Forms — archetypes that contain and radiate energy. This mirrored composition flares with intensity: red arcs rise like tongues of fire, orange embers glow at the flanks, pale sparks drift as residual heat, and a dark green base steadies the blaze.
Within Bloom Break, this archetype captures the dual nature of fire: destructive yet illuminating, fragile yet enduring. Just as minerals are tempered by heat, the psyche is shaped by the internal forces that burn within us. The Inner Flame is not a blaze that consumes, but one that persists quietly in the fractures of the self. It is the ember we guard — a source of resilience, creativity, and life.
Archival pigment print on cotton rag · 450 × 450 mm · Unframed
Edition of 33

Ignis Interior — The Inner Flame

Ignis Interior, Latin for “inner flame,” belongs to the Family of Vessel Forms — archetypes that contain, protect, and radiate energy. In this mirrored specimen, red arcs flare outward as if sparked into motion, while two pink flames rise at the centre. Teal drops and golden traces collect below, grounding the composition in balance.
Within the Bloom Break series, this archetype holds the paradox of fire: destructive yet vital, restless yet steady. Just as minerals form through the heat of the earth, so too does the psyche temper itself in the fires of experience. The fractures of this form do not extinguish its vitality; they channel it. To encounter The Inner Flame is to recognise the ember each of us carries — fragile, fractured, yet capable of illumination.
Archival pigment print on cotton rag · 450 × 450 mm · Unframed
Edition of 33

Liminis Tempestatis — The Storm Thresholdt

Liminis Tempestatis — Latin for “storm threshold” — belongs to the Family of Echo Traces, where forms hold the sense of transition, pause, and impending change. Its layered composition suggests weather gathering: red arcs flare like signal fires, indigo bands weigh like stormfronts, violet ripples expand as turbulence, and olive shapes root the base. At the centre, a pale gap recalls the fragile moment before eruption.
In the Bloom Break archive, this archetype represents the tension of liminality — the moment of standing at a threshold, neither past nor future, but suspended in pressure. Just as minerals fracture under stress, or skies split before rain, the psyche too has thresholds where transformation is imminent. The Storm Threshold asks us to consider: what shifts when we cross? What follows the fracture’s breaking point?
Archival pigment print on cotton rag · 450 × 450 mm · Unframed
Edition of 33

Mineral Flow — The Psyche in Strata

Mineral Flow — “the psyche in strata” — belongs to the Family of Crystal Forms, where minerals form by slow layering, inclusion, and fracture. Its mirrored pattern feels geological yet fluid: crimson arcs flame upward, teal currents course outward, golden streams pulse at the centre, and amber layers ground the form. At its base, black and white anchors suggest compression and release.
In the Bloom Break archive, this archetype reflects the psyche as a layered flow. Memory, experience, and fracture do not lie still; they shift, sediment, and surge, like strata shaped by pressure and water. The Psyche in Strata reminds us that identity is not only built but moved — its strength not in rigidity but in the capacity to flow through disruption. To encounter it is to sense the movement beneath the stillness, the strata alive with current.
Archival pigment print on cotton rag · 450 × 450 mm · Unframed
Edition of 33

Invocatio — The Act of Calling

Invocatio, Latin for “act of calling,” belongs to the Family of Echo Traces, where sound, gesture, and resonance emerge from mirrored fracture. Its composition rises in dual registers: red plumes flare like cries released, pale forms stretch outward as if in offering, and a rose circle at the centre radiates presence. Beneath, two black sigil-like marks ground the form, echoing an X or a doubled gesture — a mark of insistence.
In the Bloom Break archive, this archetype speaks to the psyche’s need to call outward — to speak, to summon, to invoke connection beyond itself. Just as rituals mark thresholds with sound and symbol, The Act of Calling transforms fracture into gesture. It is the moment when the inner voice becomes outer resonance, when silence cracks into declaration.
Archival pigment print on cotton rag · 450 × 450 mm · Unframed
Edition of 33

Ore Mask — Volcanic Authority

Ore Mask — “volcanic authority” — belongs to the Family of Mask Forms, where visages hold elemental forces beneath their surface. Its mirrored pattern layers tension: pale arcs drifting like ash, a central red orb glowing with volcanic heat, brown shoulders grounding the middle, and black scrolls curling downward like hardened lava. The whole form resembles both mask and eruption, poised between concealment and release.
In the Bloom Break archive, this archetype speaks to power forged in pressure. Like ore formed in volcanic crucibles, or identities shaped in fracture, The Volcanic Authority suggests strength that is neither passive nor ornamental. It is power latent, heat carried beneath the surface, presence drawn from subterranean fire. To stand before it is to feel both restraint and intensity — a reminder that within fracture lies not only vulnerability but also explosive potential.
Archival pigment print on cotton rag · 450 × 450 mm · Unframed
Edition of 33

Ortus Interior — The Inner Bloom

Ortus Interior — Latin for “inner bloom” — belongs to the Family of Fracture Blooms. Its mirrored form suggests a flower in stages of unfolding: red arcs flare at the top like first light, pink petals soften into openness, violet-grey wings extend outward, while below a pale seed glows at the core. Dark green and black roots ground the composition, balancing bloom with depth.
Within the Bloom Break archive, this archetype speaks to the psyche’s potential for renewal. Just as fractured minerals reveal radiant patterns inside, so too does the self hold the possibility of blossoming from within. The Inner Bloom reminds us that growth is not always visible at the surface — it often begins quietly, breaking open in the hidden places of the self before rising into light.
Archival pigment print on cotton rag · 450 × 450 mm · Unframed
Edition of 33

Radix Ignis — The Root of Fire

Radix Ignis — Latin for “root of fire” — belongs to the Family of Fracture Blooms, where energy bursts from both earth and psyche. Its mirrored form holds tension between elements: red arcs blaze outward, orange highlights smoulder within, a blackened seed anchors at the centre, and green scrolls unfurl beneath like roots. Fire here is not detached or consuming — it is planted, tied to growth, balanced by soil.
In the Bloom Break archive, this archetype speaks to the grounding of energy. Just as minerals crystallise through heat and pressure, and plants bloom from buried seed, so too does the psyche root its fire deep within. The Root of Fire suggests that vitality is not only eruption but also anchoring: a flame that endures because it is nourished at its base. It is the paradox of passion held steady — the energy to transform without burning out.
Archival pigment print on cotton rag · 450 × 450 mm · Unframed
Edition of 33

Speculum Animi — The Mirror of the Soul

Speculum Animi — Latin for “mirror of the soul” — belongs to the Family of Mask Forms, where identity appears in reflected symmetry. Its mirrored composition suggests a visage, but one made of colour and fragment: blue-grey arcs frame the gaze, pink folds open with tenderness, turquoise steadies at the core, while deep red scrolls unfurl beneath like anchors.
In the Bloom Break archive, this archetype invites us to see ourselves not in perfect clarity but through fractured reflection. Like minerals whose mirrored planes refract light, or psyche-forms that echo our inner states, The Mirror of the Soul does not provide a single image but a shifting one. It reminds us that to encounter art is also to encounter ourselves — a recognition that is never static, but always in motion.
Archival pigment print on cotton rag · 450 × 450 mm · Unframed
Edition of 33

Strata Memoriae — The Layers of Memory

Strata Memoriae — Latin for “layers of memory” — belongs to the Family of Crystal Forms, where growth occurs in strata and inclusions. Its mirrored form reads as a geological cross-section: black arcs framing the crown, green bands mediating between weight and lift, teal and pale blue shapes recalling water-worn sediment, and deep red layers anchoring the whole composition.
In the Bloom Break archive, this archetype speaks to memory as accretion. Just as crystals grow by layering minerals over time, so too does the psyche accumulate experiences, impressions, and fractures. Each layer carries traces of the past, but none can be peeled away without altering the whole. The Layers of Memory remind us that identity is not a single moment but a stratified archive — fragile, resilient, and endlessly composite.
Archival pigment print on cotton rag · 450 × 450 mm · Unframed
Edition of 33

Vas Spiritus — The Vessel of Breath

Vas Spiritus, Latin for “vessel of breath,” belongs to the Family of Vessel Forms — archetypes that hold and circulate vital force. In this mirrored composition, orange arcs crown the top and base, teal currents stream through the centre, purple chambers swell like lungs, and green shapes suggest leaves opening to air. The form seems to expand and contract, echoing the rhythm of respiration.
In the Bloom Break archive, this archetype speaks to the essential act of sustaining life: the inhale and exhale that bind body and psyche together. Like minerals formed under pressure, or plants that breathe through leaves, the psyche too is structured around intake and release. The Vessel of Breath is both container and flow — a reminder that vitality rests not in permanence, but in rhythm, in the balance of holding and letting go.
Archival pigment print on cotton rag · 450 × 450 mm · Unframed
Edition of 33

Viriditas — The Living Green

Viriditas — a medieval term for “living greenness” — belongs to the Family of Organic Hybrids. Its mirrored arcs spread like leaves unfurling, with gradations of green suggesting vitality, flourishing, and renewal. At the heart, a red vertical flame anchors the composition, evoking the pulse of blood within growth — a reminder that life carries both fragility and intensity.
In the Bloom Break archive, this archetype speaks to the psyche’s capacity for renewal. Just as minerals fracture and regrow, and plants bloom after fire, so too can the self regenerate after rupture. The Living Green shows us that what grows out of fracture is not diminished but enlivened. It is the force of persistence, of spirit that reclaims itself again and again.
Archival pigment print on cotton rag · 450 × 450 mm · Unframed
Edition of 33

Vultus Dubius — The Uncertain Face

Vultus Dubius — Latin for “uncertain face” — belongs to the Family of Mask Forms. Its mirrored fragments summon a visage, but one that is unstable, slipping between recognition and doubt. Blue arcs suggest watchful brows, golden lines hint at structure, violet shapes soften into shadow, and red at the mouth trembles with hesitation.
Within the Bloom Break series, this archetype embodies the ambiguity of selfhood. Just as minerals carry inclusions that interrupt but enrich their clarity, so too does the psyche carry fractures that both unsettle and define it. To look into The Uncertain Face is to confront the way our identities are not fixed masks but shifting composites, patterned by time, memory, and perception.
Archival pigment print on cotton rag · 450 × 450 mm · Unframed
Edition of 33

Winged Hearth — The Seed Bearer

Winged Hearth — “the seed bearer” — belongs to the Family of Organic Hybrids, where mirrored forms hold life in potential. Its structure suggests both butterfly and vessel: pale green wings open above, emerald arcs shield the centre, a coral hearth glows warmly, and two red seeds rest at the base. They appear both vulnerable and powerful, ready to be carried into new ground.
Within the Bloom Break archive, this archetype reflects the psyche’s capacity to bear and transmit what it has cultivated. Just as plants carry seeds within pods, or minerals hold traces of growth within their strata, so too does the self carry forward memory, experience, and potential. The Seed Bearer reminds us that fracture is not the end of form but its dispersal — the scattering of what might root elsewhere, bloom differently, live on.
Archival pigment print on cotton rag · 450 × 450 mm · Unframed
Edition of 33