Miguel Arzabe

Sierpinski Gasket
Installed July 31, 2009

A beige textured wall features a design created with small, raised triangular shapes arranged to form larger triangles, creating a geometric, fractal pattern. The triangles vary in size, with smaller triangles clustering to form the edges of larger ones.
A large concrete wall with a triangle pattern on the left and a scenic view of a mountain range bathed in the glow of sunset in the background. Partial view of a building and parked cars are visible on the right.
A modern building entrance with glass doors, featuring distinct architecture with a stone wall section and geometrically shaped concrete walls under a clear blue sky.
A view from an elevated perspective of a modern open public space with brick walls, scattered benches, footpaths, and landscaped areas, under a clear sky with distant mountains in the backdrop.
A large Sierpinski triangle mural painted on a concrete wall, featuring a fractal geometric pattern forming smaller triangles within a larger triangle.
A triangular pattern is intricately carved into the underside of a large, cantilevered concrete roof. The roof is supported by a single, sleek column. The sky is blue with a few clouds, and some greenery is visible in the background.
A modern building with an angled roof displaying a triangular fractal pattern. Large windows and an open terrace overlook a sunset with soft pink and purple clouds. People are visible sitting and enjoying the view in the outdoor space.
A spacious outdoor courtyard featuring a large plain wall with a geometric triangular pattern, accompanied by sculptures, including a blue head and a green pillar, under a clear sky.
Modern architectural building with a large glass entrance, visible under a clear blue sky, flanked by a beige wall with a geometric relief pattern on the left.
A large triangular fractal pattern etched on a concrete wall under a clear blue sky.
Collage of images featuring architectural elements of the Albuquerque Museum, including exterior views, decorative motifs on building overhangs, and a floor plan map.
A worker on a lift paints a large geometric mural of nested triangles on a building's exterior wall, casting sharp shadows on the surface during a sunny day.

Press Release

Richard Levy Gallery is please to present Sierpinski Gasket, by Miguel Arzabe at The Albuquerque Museum of Art and History in participation of LAND/ART.

The Sierpinski triangle follows a set of simple instructions that are repeated indefinitely. It has been studied as a model for self-organizing natural and biological systems. Some have theorized that the Paleolithic cave artists were like shamans, retreating to remote locations and ceremoniously imbuing the imagery of animals with magical properties in order to promote prosperity for the hunt.

Sierpinski Gasket, by San Francisco based artist Miguel Arzabe, was inspired by the notion that these early artists were attempting to affect positive change on their environment. In contemporary society our hunt for knowledge is dependant on technology. At the source of this technology are mathematical mental models such as the Sierpinski triangle. Azarabe seeks to unite this technology source with ritualistic painting in his installation.

For Sierpinski Gasket, Arzabe hand trowels local earth, stenciling the triangle onto the museum exterior. The mud works as a votive offering to the earth, and a reconciliation of the importance of technology with our inevitable dependence on the natural. Miguel Arzabe, Sierpinski Gasket is sponsored by Richard Levy Gallery in partnership with The Albuquerque Museum of Art and History and the City of Albuquerque.

La Galería Richard Levy se complace en presentar Sierpinski Gasket, por Miguel Arzabe en el Museo de Arte é Historia de Albuquerque participando en el evento de arte LAND/ART.

El triángulo de Sierpinski es generado por una serie sencilla de instrucciones que se repiten indefinidamente. Ha sido estudiado como un modelo de auto-organización en los sistemas biológicos y naturales. Algunos teorizan que los artistas cavernarios paleolíticos fueron como los sacerdotes místicos que se retirarían a regiones remotas y ceremoniosamente imbuirían las imágenes de animales con propiedades mágicas para promover éxito en las cazerías.

Sierpinski Gasket, por el artista Miguel Arzabe de San Francisco, fué inspirado por la noción de que estos primeros artistas tratarón de cambiar positivamente el medio ambiente. En la sociedad contemporánea la búsqueda de conocimientos es dependiente de la tecnología. Esta tecnología tiene como fuente modelos matemáticos y mentales como el triángulo Sierpinski. Arzabe busca en su instalación, unir este origen tecnológico con la pintura ritualística.

Para Sierpinski Gasket Arzabe aplica manualmente una capa de tierra local, reproduciendo el triángulo de Sierpinski con un estencil en el exterior del museo. El barro es una oferta votiva a la tierra y una reconciliación entre la importancia de la tecnología y nuestra inevitable dependencia de la naturaleza. Miguel Arzabe, Sierpinski Gasket está auspiciado por la galería Richard Levy en colaboración con el Museo de Arte é Historia y la ciudad de Albuquerque.

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Installation Date: July 31, 2009
Location: Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, Albuquerque, NM 87102
Contact: 505.766.9888, info@levygallery.com, www.levygallery.com @levygallery