I hope to see many of you at the launch party for my newest book, in collaboration with Purgatory Pie Press: “Box of Chaos” (eight interlocking sculptural interactive accordions).
Month: May 2014
Dominick Talvacchio at Matteawan Gallery
Matteawan Gallery in Beacon, New York is currently exhibiting works on paper by Dominick Talvacchio, in a show named “The Eros of Mathematics”. Talvacchio has a background and education in mathematics. His work has been exhibited extensively throughout the United States and Europe. The visual dialog in his print and drawings express his interest in the inherent beauty of the order and structure found in mathematics.
Arcs Missing Arcs – 2012
Giclée Print
Picture courtesy of the artist and the gallery
In the print “Arcs Missing Arcs”, Talvacchio has created a 4 by 4 grid of touching circles with only sections of the circles visible. These arcs create a series of graceful and organic curves. The viewer senses the existence of the underlying grid pattern, but is allowed to enjoy the sensual aesthetics of the segmented curves.
Kairovan Below – 2012
Drawing on paper
Picture courtesy of the artist and the gallery
The drawing “Kairovan Below” features two elements. First, an underlying, lightly-drawn tiling. Second, a selection of line segments from the tiling, drawn in a darker black. The tiling has a four-fold rotational symmetry. Within this symmetrical pattern there are five-point non-symmetrical stars. The juxtaposition of the overall symmetry of the tiling against the not-quite-symmetrical stars creates an interesting tension. By making some of the lines darker and more pronounced, Talvacchio allows a simplified but elegant pattern to emerge.
Artist talk and reception
On June 1st from 2-4 at Matteawan Gallery there will be an artist talk and closing reception for “The Eros of Mathematics”. I will be there to participate in the discussion about the relationships between mathematics and art. All are welcome.
Beacon
Matteawan Gallery is located in Beacon. A small city north of New York City, situated on the Hudson River. It is the home of DIA Beacon, a museum dedicated to displaying long-term, large-scale gallery presentations of single artist displays, with emphasis on conceptual art and minimalist work. They have an excellent selection of Sol LeWitt’s wall drawings currently on view. I would suggest DIA Beacon as an excellent destination for a day trip for any math art enthusiast. While you are in town, check out the galleries on Main Street.
PULSE Show New York – May 2014
Sabrina Gschwandtner at LMAKProjects
May is the month for many large art fairs in NYC. I recently spent an afternoon at the Pulse Show. There were quite a few works that had mathematical connections. The geometric structures of quilts have frequently been discussed in books papers and lectures. Sabrina Gschwandtner has developed a unique process: instead of cloth, she uses segments of film footage. The LMAKprojects booth at the fair had some wonderful examples of Gswandtner’s work on display. The films for these quilts were produced between 1952 and 1982 and were documentaries about women and textile craft practices. Although at first the patterning in the sections of the work appear to be repetitive abstract patterning there is a actually a self-referential social statement imbedded in the “fabric” of each work.
Hearts and Hands Black Block 2014
Courtesy LMAKprojects NY
The work ” Heats and Hands Black Block” order 4 rotational symmetry, and an interesting repetition of the squares. The large center square has four times the area of each of the corner squares and is one quarter the size of the entire piece.This creates a great example of self-similar forms at play.
Amanda Means at Jayne H Baum Gallery
I am always looking for different ways geometry can be used to make art. The Jayne H Baum gallery booth had a display of the work of Amanda Means, who has incorporated grids into her photographic darkroom process. Means scratches the lines of the grid directly into the surface of the paper. Then, while listening to music she uses a pen light to manipulate the images.
Amanda Means Grid Abstraction 52 – 2005 Gelatin silver print, scored – 24″ x 20″ Courtesy Jayne H Baum gallery
In the work “Abstract grid” 51 2005 what I find fascinating is the way the scratches of the grid has effected the flow of the work. The valleys and the raised edges around the scratched lines have created the square gridded patterns forcing the free flowing quality of the pigment to conform to the underlying geometric structure.
— Susan Happersett
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