Mathematical look at art in Seattle I

This spring I visited Seattle for the first time. I got there just in time to see exhibit ART ∩ MATH (Art intersects Math) at  Center on Contemporary Art in Pioneer Square which run from March 1-April 14, 2018. I wrote about this exhibit and posted some pictures here. Before getting there I misread the name of the gallery as Center of Contemporary Art and an image of this center to be something big. Instead it is just one gallery space for exhibits, but this gallery already for 35 years has an important mission - "CoCA serves the Pacific Northwest as a catalyst and forum for the advancement, development, and understanding of Contemporary Art. " The exhibit showcased artistic works of mathematicians Jayadev Athreya, Katherine Cook, Erik Demaine and Martin Demaine, Edmund Harriss, and Hamid Naderi Yeganeh and visual artists who use mathematical principles in their practices: Rachel Holloway, Claire B. Jones, George Legrady, Jean Mandeberg, Savina Mason, Suchitra Mattai, June Sekiguchi, Timea Tihanyi/Slip Rabbit, Lun-Yi Tsai, Amber Barney-Nivon, and Ilana Zweschi. While the names of mathematicians were familiar, I did not know visual artists making this exhibit even more interesting for me. I met Nichole DeMent, executive director of CoCA who was eager to hear my opinion about the current exhibit which shows creative combination of math and art. I really liked this exhibit, and was lucky to see it on my own in the morning, and then later full of viewers in the evening. I missed the dance performance which was one of the events in connection with the exhibit. When I returned in the evening to the gallery it was full with people. It was first Thursday Art Walk night. I was happy that Nichole DeMent suggested me to come back that night because the whole exhibit had become alive. Artworks displayed created discussions, they were teaching about math and about creativity.

Claire B. Jones Triportal

In the exhibit Claire B. Jones two works were the first I wanted to see because they were explorations of curvature, the same theme I have done so many times. Jones creates her fiber sculptures using machine stitch.

I am used seeing paintings analysed whether a painter had used one, two, or even three point perspective. But to think that it can be done with vintage needlepoint design? Suchitra Mattai did.

Eric Demain and Martin Demain Assymetry

Edmund Harriss Gradient Fields

I had a chance to talk also with curators of the exhibit, and they told me that exhibit from Seattle will travel to Everett, WA, where there will be more space and thus possibility to invite more artists to participate. I received a kind invitations to be one of the artists joining this beautiful exhibit in Everett. Unfortunately, I had to decline because from Seattle I was travelling to Atlanta, without coming to Ithaca to get my works. Hopefully some other time...


In the meantime I am happy to announce that during my visit in Seattle second edition of my book got published and now is available on CRC Press site