Underwater sculpture park in the Caribbean

Last updated May 1, 2024

The world's first underwater sculpture park in Grenada, West Indies is the handiwork of the talented sculptor Jason de Caires Taylor, who received worldwide recognition in 2006 for his unique work.

Jason Taylor is a man who surprised the world by combining the incompatible. The sculptor and ceramic specialist, who is also a scuba diving instructor, has combined his so far apart specialties in one art project. In his quest to see everything in close connection with the environment, Jason swam into the waters of the West Indies, where, with the support of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture of Grenada, he organized an exhibition of sculptures under water.

At the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean (near the Cancun resort), Jason Taylor chose a coral reef for the park off the coast of Grenada. The shallow depth allows not only professional divers to see the work of the sculptor, but also ordinary tourists taking a trip on boats with a glass bottom.

The process of creating underwater sculptures is fundamentally different from above ground sculptures. There are physical and optical conditions to consider. The statues appear twenty-five percent larger under water, with colors distorted because the water refracts sunlight. The aquatic environment allows you to see this world in all the play of its perspectives and colors, this turns the process of simple passive observation into a fascinating exploration.

His underwater sculptures are designed to create artificial reefs. The works reflect the ecological processes of the marine environment on the one hand and illustrate the complex relationship between contemporary art and the environment on the other. Sculptural creations carry a hidden message that it is necessary to understand and protect the natural world.

Grenada Underwater Sculpture Park, website: https://www.underwatersculpture.com/works/recent/