Translating NY-Based Artist Alex Proba’s Surrealist Designs into Mosaic
“My work is a celebration of color and pattern, which I would see as a positive stimulation of the senses.”
— Alex Proba
This project is part of a larger, ongoing collaboration with Alex Proba’s studio.
Together, we’re exploring how her visual language can evolve within mosaic, across new artworks, new scales, and new contexts.
Proba’s Take on Modern Surfaces
The centerpiece of our collaboration draws from Alex Proba’s signature way of “sculpting” a room. She is best known for treating massive, unconventional surfaces, like her iconic site-specific pool murals and sprawling wall art, as living canvases.
A multidisciplinary powerhouse, Alex Proba specializes in the tactile. From her sculptural rugs for CC-Tapis to monumental stone work for SolidNature, she makes heavy materials feel fluid.
That’s where we come in. At MEC, we took on the challenge of translating Proba’s digital soul and fluid shapes into the timeless medium of mosaic.
Inspiration Moodboard
The brief demanded total color integrity and a rejection of the grid; the final piece had to feel as “liquid” as one of her famous playful pools. So here’s what we did:
- We abandoned standard tiling patterns. Every hand-cut tessera follows the organic flow of Alex’s curves.
- Embracing her belief that “there is no such thing as a perfect straight line,” our artisans hand-set each piece to create a human texture that digital prints can’t replicate.
- We color-matched her bold, nostalgic palette using high-pigment glass.
- Soft, organic forms sit beside more defined geometric elements. Bold oranges, pinks, yellows, and deep greens interact across a warm neutral base.
Design Development
Initial Sketches
We began by closely studying the composition—breaking it down into individual shapes, color zones, and movement patterns. The goal was to understand not just what the artwork looked like, but how it felt.
2D & 3D Visualizations
A detailed digital layout allowed us to map every form precisely.
Color Palette & Materials
Special attention was given to color matching, ensuring that each mosaic tile reflected the vibrancy of the original palette.
Fabrication Photos
Once the design was finalized, our artisans stepped in to bring the piece to life—tile by tile.
- Hand-Cut Precision: Each curve and edge was carefully shaped to maintain the softness of Proba’s forms.
- Directional Placement: Tile orientation was used intentionally to mimic movement and flow within the artwork.
- Material Interpretation: Subtle variations in texture added depth, giving the piece a tactile quality that enhances the original design.
What appears effortless in the final piece is the result of hours of detailed, hands-on work.
“There’s a certain energy in Proba’s work that feels almost impossible to contain. Seeing it translated into mosaic—something so permanent—was incredibly special.” — MEC Design Team
The finished piece holds a unique presence. It captures the spontaneity of the original artwork while grounding it in materiality. Light interacts with the surface, subtly shifting how colors and textures are perceived throughout the day.
Final Installed Photos
“Every possible surface is a canvas… I apply spatial thinking and knowledge when translating a design from one medium to another.”
— Alex Proba
Operating between her studios in Brooklyn and Portland, she has cultivated a design language that feels both nostalgic and distinctly ahead of its time. We were tasked with translating one of her designs into a mosaic, and this was easily one of our design team’s favourite collaborations.
Her aesthetic is defined by “sensory stimulation,” a philosophy that prioritizes emotional impact through the use of heavy, saturated color palettes and organic, free-form geometry.
Whether she’s reimagining a physical space or a premium product, Studio Proba has a way of making the world look a little more vibrant.
FAQs
These "high-art" pool mosaics in places like Palm Springs—can this level of detail be achieved in private residential projects in California or Florida?
Absolutely. While the “playful pool” aesthetic gained massive popularity in design hubs like Palm Springs and Miami, that level of high-art detail is now a major trend in custom residential architecture across the US. At MEC, we specialize in the “hard math” required to take a surrealist, organic design and scale it for a private backyard or an interior feature wall without losing the “liquid” feel of the original artwork.
Is a glass mosaic mural durable enough for exterior use in climates with extreme weather, like the Northeast or the Texas heat?
This is a common concern for our clients in states like New York and Texas. Because we use high-pigment glass tesserae and specialized binders, the colors are UV-stable and the material is non-porous. Unlike a painted mural that might fade or peel, an MEC mosaic is a permanent architectural statement. It’s designed to withstand the freeze-thaw cycles of a Chicago winter and the intense sun of a Southern California summer while maintaining its color integrity forever.
Can MEC coordinate with US-based interior designers and architects to match a specific color palette?
Color integrity is our obsession. For the Studio Proba project, we had to match a very specific, bold, nostalgic palette that isn’t found in standard tile catalogs. We provide custom color-matching services for architects and designers from Portland to Brooklyn, using pigmented stone and custom-melted glass to ensure the physical mosaic carries the exact emotional weight of the digital vision.
I’m interested in a "site-specific" installation. Do you provide digital mapping before the actual fabrication begins?
Yes. We believe the “vision” is just as important as the “craft.” Before our artisans touch a single tile, we create a detailed digital map of the composition. This allows our clients and artist-partners to visualize how the fluid shapes will interact with the specific architecture of their space—ensuring that every curve sits perfectly in relation to the doors, windows, or pool edges of the site.
Verified Client Reviews & Experiences
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