POOL RESCUE, 2022

” I had to go in because the Lifeguards weren’t doing it.”

Andrea Fuentes

At the world Aquatic Championship in Budapest on June 23, 2022, Anita Alvarez fainted and sunk to the bottom of the pool and remained there for two minutes until USA Team Coach Andrea Fuentes jumped in to rescue her. Because of the presence of cameras and film recording the contest, the event was recorded and made headlines around the world. When I spent time with the film and photos, I marvelled at the courage and skill by Fuentes in the dramatic rescue, In the reports. She told Spanish Newspaper Marca:

“I had to go in because the Lifeguards weren’t doing it . “

I began to see the event as a metaphor for the plight of woman in the world in 2022 after the Supreme Court Decision, Dobbs versus Jackson Women’s Health Organization and the Women’s’ heroic Protests in Iran, and the rape of women in Ukraine by Russian Soldiers;Todays headlines report that the Taliban are prohibiting women in Schools and University. The “Lifeguards” in all these cases weren’t doing it!

The quote stayed with me and I started a small painting of Fuentes swimming to the bottom of the pool to pull out Alvarez. Three Larger paintings followed. The images are taken from the event and other pictures of rescues combined and sometimes in composite compositions taken advantage of colour and texture.