NYAB Event - Nelson Saiers “One-On-One”

Nelson Saiers “One-On-One”

The Hole

[Image: Nelson Saiers "Paradox in Abstract Art" (2015) Paper and Crayon. 45 x 59 in.]

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Rotating Installation Featuring Seven Works
by Nelson Saiers

“One-On-One,” a rotating installation featuring seven new works by artist, math PhD and polymath Nelson Saiers, will be on view at The Hole Shop, 312 Bowery, New York. Curated by Laura O’Reilly, a new piece by Saiers will be unveiled every Tuesday from May 12–June 30, 2015.

“When we view a work of art, we often wonder what an artist was thinking and feeling when he or she created it,” says curator Laura O’Reilly. “With “One-On-One,” we get an intimate view into the world of artist Nelson Saiers as he merges mathematics with his personal philosophy to find a new, visual way of exploring human nature.”

In “One-On-One,” the viewer is invited to experience one piece at a time over the course of seven weeks. Each piece in the seven-part series includes an audio element with Saiers explaining the intricate theory behind the work currently on view. The installation changes every Tuesday when a new work is unveiled.

Saiers uses a mathematical framework to distill down and then sum up complex human ideas in an effort to articulate and express truth. To do so, he brings together seemingly disparate or disassociated concepts and subjects in a seamless and minimalist way. His artwork is a visual mathematics – beyond equations and proofs – that beautifully actualizes rational, simple statements of truth with the strength of all of the abstraction behind them. Thus, Saiers not only uses mathematical theories but transcends them, delivering an aesthetic and visual statement with technical, cultural, and personal layers.

“One-On-One” extends Saiers’ exploration of the world through his unique lens. His pieces track along three core topics: social justice (notably peace and the achievements of women), abstract concepts regarding the human condition explored through mathematics (notably geometry, topology, and paradox), and the very nature of a still life. Braille markings continue to play a prominent role in Saiers’ pieces, pointing to the nature of infinity, the quest for mathematical truth so often obscured by abstraction, and humanity’s blindness to societal issues.

In the first piece of the installation, Paradox in Abstract Art, Saiers uses several Aristotelian paradoxes and observations to create the framework for the piece. Addressing Aristotle’s famous wheel paradox, observations about ships, and his addition of aether as the fifth of the classic elements, Saiers wrestles with the concept of infinity in mathematics, the Earth’s geometry, and Robert Boyle’s Theory of Gases. Each additional piece promises to unveil not only visually striking works of art, but also the intellectual depth that makes Saiers’ work so unique.

About Nelson Saiers: Nelson Saiers is an artist based in New York City. Saiers previously worked in finance, where he managed a hedge fund. He earned his PhD in Mathematics from the University of Virginia in one year at the age of 23. Saiers lived through wars in Ethiopia and Afghanistan and uses his math-based art to draw attention to social issues around the world. For more on his artwork, visit www.nelsonsaiers.com.