Sine Wave by Carlos Davila

Location: Fountain St. x Dorrance St.

This sculpture and the others in this series are constructed of triangular forms, from the base to the top. The series is a play on geometry. A triangle is a profoundly simple shape, yet is the strongest. Triangles are also used to create the digital world. CGI is approximated using an incredibly fine mesh of triangles.

Carlos Davila has always been fascinated by ancient cultures, beginning with those in his native Peru and spreading to others the world over. The scientific accomplishments and inventions, the mathematical discoveries, the architecture and art, and the cuneiform and hieroglyphic writing of many disparate ancient cultures have been an ideal jumping-off point for Davila's sculptures. There is a universality in making marks, and creating and exploring form. Carlos is equally fascinated by space travel and exploration and the science of the stars and universe. There are planes, lines, and forms in his work that suggest spacecraft, satellite trajectories, or computer circuitry. There is a machine-like quality to their appearance along with a timelessness. Davila explores the relationship between the ancient and the modern, abstracting line, form, and color to create objects of veneration that are at once familiar and alien, reflecting both the primitive age and the machine age. His fascination with ancient cultures started at the beginning of his career as an artist when Davila was invited to work with a group of archeologists on the reconstruction of the 1500-year-old city of the Chimu civilization, Chan Chan, in the desert of northern Peru.

About the Artist:

Born and educated in Peru, Carlos Davila comes from a family of artists. After receiving his MFA from the National School of Fine Arts in Lima, he spent several years exhibiting in and traveling around Europe. Following a one-man exhibition at the Miami Museum of Art, Davila visited and then settled in New York City. He attended Pratt Graphic Center and the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop while working from a studio in Greenwich Village. He has exhibited extensively throughout the United States, Latin America, and Europe. In 1978 Davila moved to Connecticut and now works from a loft in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Material: Stainless Steel

Artist IG: @carlosdavilaartist

~TAKE A CLOSER LOOK~

What stands out to you most at first observation of this artwork?

What do you think Mark Wholey is conveying with this piece?

How does the movement of the figure inform your thinking about what the artist is saying?

How does color play a part in this piece? What if it was another color?

How does the environment around the artwork add to your perception of the piece?

What are the feelings you associate with this artwork? Why?