An empty, low-ceilinged concrete room has a bright, childlike mural of a sun, plants, and abstract shapes wrapping along the walls; quiet and spacious.
Colorful mural on a gray concrete wall shows a tall pink flower rising from a vivid green-and-yellow garden, beneath a band of blue blossoms and warm orange clouds; playful, hopeful tone.

THE CAVE OF FUTURE DREAMS

Kunst und Bau (Art-in-Building) permanent art installation in the garage of a new four-family home. Zurich, Switzerland.
2026
Acrylic paint on concrete
Directly commissioned by: U N O Partner GmbH
Assistance: Raphael Sigel
Photos: Anna Maysuk

The intervention takes place in the underground garage of a new building, the only communal part of a four-family house. I imagined it as a modern cave, and came up with a story, in which time would run backwards. Taking as reference the prehistoric drawings of our human ancestors, in which they painted scenes representing their projected wishes of prosperity for their everyday lives, my installation proposes to create “future” images of the small community that will inhabit this building. The collection of narratives depicts possible daily scenes of their future, and of their natural and human-made environment, as a projection of future moments of conviviality and communal living.

The project was carried out within clear time and budget constraints: Two weeks were allocated for implementation, with fixed start and end dates and a set budget. On-site tests were conducted on a 1:1 scale, while a 1:20 scale sketch model was developed in parallel. This led to the final drawing, which was projected onto the concrete walls and painted directly onto them. It was a deliberate artistic decision to leave the sketch-like character visible and unpolished even on a large scale: this gives the work a light and friendly appearance.

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Whimsical chalk mural on concrete shows tiny figures crossing an orange leaf-shaped path beneath blue and green foliage, beside a large pink flower.
Colorful childlike mural of imaginary plants and vegetables, including a bright orange flower, green vines, red tomatoes, purple eggplant, and dangling roots on a gray wall; playful, whimsical tone.
A colorful mural on a concrete wall shows two hands clasping across a gap, their patterned sleeves in warm red and cool blue, symbolizing unity.
Colorful children’s mural of a yellow duck, butterflies, playful figures, and rainbow-striped shapes on a concrete wall, conveying a cheerful, imaginative mood.
Colorful mural on a concrete wall shows orange planets and a swirling sun above blue space, with stylized spacecraft racing along diagonal tracks; playful, imaginative tone.
A colorful mural of abstract shapes and figures stretches across a bare concrete basement wall beneath fluorescent lighting, creating a playful contrast with the stark, quiet space.