Where it began
One wish, one well
It started with a birthday. A friend was asked what they wanted, and the answer wasn't a gift — it was a well. One well, somewhere water is hard to reach. About AUD $7,500.
That small, generous wish wouldn't leave. If one well could be a birthday present, what could art do? Miracle Water grew from that question.
What we saw
The drought photographs
For decades, photographers have carried famine and drought in Africa to the rest of the world. These are their pictures, not ours — each is linked to its source and credited to its maker.
- The Vulture and the Little Girl ("The Struggling Girl")Kevin Carter · Ayod, Sudan (now South Sudan) · 1993 (Mar)
- Hands: a starving boy's hand in a missionary's handMike Wells · Karamoja, Uganda · 1980 (Apr)
- Mother carries her dead child to a famine mass graveJames Nachtwey · Bardera, Somalia · 1992 (Nov)
- Korem famine: the 'biblical famine' footage and stillsMohamed Amin (with BBC's Michael Buerk) · Korem, Ethiopia · 1984 (Oct)
- Refugee camp at Korem, from 'Sahel: The End of the Road'Sebastião Salgado · Korem, Ethiopia · 1984
- Child suffering in the Sahel droughtOvie Carter · Niger · 1974
- Ethiopian famine seriesStan Grossfeld · Ethiopia · 1984
- Somalia famine, war and US reliefYunghi Kim (Boston Globe) · Somalia · 1992
- Malnourished child at Banadir HospitalTyler Hicks · Mogadishu, Somalia · 2011
- Horn of Africa famine, refugees reaching Dadaab (picture essay)Various (AP, Reuters, Getty) · Dadaab, Kenya / Somalia · 2011
The method
Ten photographs, four ways of seeing water
ThugMATH began with ten original photographs. Each was then restored four times, in the water styles of Renoir, Picasso, Monet and Van Gogh — the original scene kept recognisable, only the way water and light are seen is changed. Fifty images in all: ten originals and forty restorations.
Chapter I
Renoir
Water made of light and warmth: soft brushwork, rose and gold, the river as a place of gathering.
Chapter II
Picasso
Water broken into planes: the same scene seen from many sides at once.
Chapter III
Monet
Water as reflection: broken colour, the surface holding the sky.
Chapter IV
Van Gogh
Water in motion: impasto swirls, the current made visible.
Convergence
Triptychs
Series A: Renoir above, the original between, Picasso below. Series B: Monet above, the original, Van Gogh below.
Side by side
The artist
ThugMATH
ThugMATH is an artist working where photography meets art history. In Miracle Water, ten original photographs are restored through the eyes of four masters — Renoir, Picasso, Monet and Van Gogh — each one asking how water has been seen, painted and longed for. The work is made freely, in the belief that beauty can carry weight: that a painting of a river can help bring water to people who walk for it. Miracle Water is a humanitarian fine-art initiative. Its aim is that the art funds verified clean-water projects serving African communities, with every step published openly.
Where it stands now
The work is made. The wells are next.
The ten works and their restorations are complete. Recipient charities are being shortlisted and checked — nothing is endorsed and no partnership is claimed until agreements are signed.
hello@miraclewater.artPress, galleries, sponsors and anyone who wants to follow the work.
Give water
Give straight to the source
Miracle Water never touches your money. Give straight to a trusted water charity: every dollar goes to people who need water. No one involved in Miracle Water is paid.
WaterAid Australia The Water Project charity: water
Miracle Water is independent and not affiliated with these charities.