In this series, Staros explores stone as a geological and human relic of marking time. Soft pink neon is embedded into textural travertine, appearing to melt away from the compacted rock as if pulled by the weight of gravity. The sculptures undeniably appear as landscapes. The contrast of the natural stone edge and man-made elements of the neon simultaneously references an ancient past and possibly unknown forces on a structure left to ruin.

The human body is also present throughout Staros’ practice. In both Sleight of Hand and Thin Air, wall-mounted walnut sculptures cradle a delicate knot of neon, the coils reminiscent of classical Greco-Roman iconography of snakes, ropes, and lassoes. Elsewhere, marble hands gesture from the wall, bathed in blue light. These fragmented figurative sculptures, modeled after the artist’s body, are rooted in history yet disarmingly present.

"I enjoy how the marble hands feel ghostly. They are reminiscent of Greek statuary—by virtue of being marble and figurative—and the sky, which are connected to the Gods."

While addressing the historical narrative associated with these sculptures, Staros focuses on the prescience of ancient artifacts — how their treatment foretells a possible future of today’s objects. Relics and ruins, which outlast the societies that made them, emphasize both the achievements and the hubris of humanity.