Immersive installation · Byala, Bulgaria · 2026
Inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night, Sleeping Inside Van Gogh transforms the painted image into a three-dimensional, inhabitable environment. Reclaimed and discarded materials extend beyond the surface, bringing Scoobafish’s language of upcycling into the physical space.
Illuminated moon made from a decommissioned Ø40 cm road sign.
Year 2026
Dimensions 760 × 255 × 30 cm
Materials Reclaimed plastics collected from Sardinian beaches, decommissioned road sign, reclaimed wood from old doors and shutters, recovered aluminium, discarded jar lids, found objects and electronic components, acrylic paint, screws and adhesives.
Rarity Unique work
Medium Site-specific mixed-media installation
Commission Private commission
Signature Hand-signed by the artist
Certificate of Authenticity Included
Frame Not required
What if you could step inside a painting — and spend the night there?
Sleeping Inside Van Gogh transforms the visual universe of Vincent van Gogh into a three-dimensional, inhabitable environment. Inspired by The Starry Night, the work expands beyond the painted surface through sculptural assemblage, reclaimed materials and found objects — bringing Scoobafish’s language of reuse into one of the most recognisable images in art history.
THE STORY
The project began with a private commission from the owner of a beautiful sea-view apartment overlooking the Bay of Byala, on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast.
She wanted a Scoobafish mural to become a defining presence within the apartment. Together, we developed the idea of reinterpreting Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night — not simply as a painted wall, but as a work extending physically into the room.
From the beginning, the idea was to combine painting with sculptural relief, giving the composition real depth and material presence. An illuminated moon became part of the work itself, while reclaimed and discarded materials transformed Van Gogh’s landscape through the visual language of Scoobafish.
Work in progress at the Scoobafish studio in Sardinia, before the journey to Byala.
FROM WASTE TO STARRY NIGHT
Van Gogh’s landscape was rebuilt through materials that had already lived another life.
CYPRESS
Discarded plastics collected from the beaches of Sardinia, assembled into the monumental form of Van Gogh’s cypress.
MOON
Discarded 40 cm road sign transformed into a sculptural light element. By day, part of the assemblage; when illuminated, it becomes a glowing presence within the night sky.
VILLAGE
Reclaimed wood from old doors and shutters, cut and assembled to build the village beneath the night sky.
FIELDS
Discarded lids from preserves, honey and jam jars, arranged in rows to create the green and blue fields.
WIND
Recovered aluminium fragments integrated into the painted surface, catching the light and extending the movement of Van Gogh’s swirling wind into physical space.
STARS
Discarded everyday objects transformed into celestial forms — including a computer cooling component reimagined as the centre of a star.
THE JOURNEY
Built in Sardinia, the installation then had to travel across Europe to reach its final destination: Byala, on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast.
My son Daniel and I loaded everything into the van and set off together — two days on the road to reach Bulgaria, and three days for the journey back, with several stops along the way. More than transporting an artwork, it became a father-and-son journey across Europe.
THE FINAL INSTALLATION
After crossing Europe, the work found its final place in Byala — overlooking the Black Sea.
LANDSCAPE
Reclaimed materials, paint and layered textures reconstruct the village and landscape beneath Van Gogh’s night sky.
COMMISSION A SITE-SPECIFIC WORK
Sleeping Inside Van Gogh was created as a unique response to a private commission and to the space in which the artwork would live.
New commissions are developed through dialogue with the client and may incorporate personal narratives, places, objects and reclaimed materials. Each work remains unique and is conceived specifically for its architectural setting.
Scale, materials, installation, timing and price are defined individually for every project.
New commissions are developed through dialogue with the client and may incorporate personal narratives, places, objects and reclaimed materials. Each work remains unique and is conceived specifically for its architectural setting.
Scale, materials, installation, timing and price are defined individually for every project.
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