Cruising alongside an original Giovanni Abath
Giovanni Abath Featured Aboard Royal Caribbean’s Newest Ship.
At a press conference on July 14, Giovanni Abath announced that his latest artwork has been installed aboard Royal Caribbean’s newest ship, the Legend of the Seas.
The artwork, titled ‘The Colors Behind the Flowers’, measures 5.5 meters in height and 4.2 meters in width. At the press conference, the artist, assisted by Minister Sithree van Heydoorn of OWCS, unveiled a large photograph of the piece.
Selection process
At the beginning of 2026, Giovanni received an email inviting him to participate in the international selection process among 1,000 invited artists. After several rounds, he became one of six finalists asked to submit a formal proposal, alongside artists from the US, Mexico, Trinidad, Costa Rica, and Puerto Rico.
Giovanni noted that, among painters and muralists, he is the first sculptor to receive a commission. He created a large-scale wall sculpture right here in Curaçao, which was then shipped to Finland, where the ship was built, for installation. Giovanni traveled to Finland with a small team to personally assemble the artwork aboard the vessel.
The Royal Promenade
The sculpture is positioned at the entrance of the Royal Promenade, the ship’s vibrant central hub, ensuring that every passenger onboard will encounter the work of the Curaçaoan artist.
During her speech, Mrs. Sau Bridgewater, representative of CPA, highlighted that Giovanni’s achievement is a monumental milestone for Curaçao. She noted that, alongside competing in the FIFA World Cup, this provides another world-class platform where Curaçao is proudly represented.
Talent and business sense
Minister Sithree van Heydoorn emphasized that Giovanni’s talent, combined with his strong business sense, is both evident and inspiring. He praised the artist for continuously challenging himself and putting Curaçao on a world-renowned stage, adding: “Whenever he reaches new heights, he takes Curaçao along with him.”
The Blue Wave
Giovanni concluded his presentation with a heartfelt reference to the official song for the Curaçao national soccer team, ‘Mama Wak’ by saying: “Mama wak, e Ola Blou ta sigui move!” (Look, mom, the Blue Wave keeps going!)
© When reproducing the text above, please credit the source: Curaçao Art®️ www.curacao-art.com. The artist retains all image rights of their artworks.
