Unsafe to Swim
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Unsafe to Swim is about danger, fear, and hope for tomorrow. The work reflects a deep concern for the impact of human activity and progress on the natural world. It introduces a familiar yet unsettling form into the landscape: the dorsal fin, a shape universally recognized as a warning sign.
At first glance, the fin appears threatening. Up close, however, its surface reveals a different story. Embedded throughout the sculpture are recycled aluminum cans, transforming a common material associated with consumption and waste into something visually compelling and conceptually layered. By incorporating discarded objects into a symbol of perceived natural danger, the work redirects attention toward the real vulnerabilities facing our oceans and ecosystems.
The sculpture holds a quiet tension between instinct and awareness. What initially feels dangerous becomes reflective, encouraging viewers to reconsider where risk truly resides. Through this shift in perspective, Unsafe to Swim invites contemplation of humanity’s relationship with nature, the consequences of our actions, and the possibility of a more thoughtful and sustainable future.
About the Artist
Oleg Lobykin is a Russian-American sculptor and master stone carver based in Silicon Valley. Originally from St. Petersburg, Russia, he was classically trained in traditional stone carving before relocating to the United States in the 1990s. His work bridges old-world craftsmanship with contemporary technology, combining hand-carved stone, mirror-polished stainless steel, fiberglass, 3D modeling, and digital fabrication to explore the relationship between material form and metaphysical experience. Often centered on what he describes as “harmony in contradictions,” Lobykin’s sculptures balance nature and technology, chaos and order, reflection and perception.
His public works include Talking Heads, an 18-foot stainless steel sculpture exhibited at Burning Man and in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley, as well as No Swimming, Sea Foam, and the monumental Alabama Column. In addition to his own sculptural practice, Lobykin has completed restoration and carving work for institutions including Stanford University, Yale University, The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Cloisters, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York.
