Zdenka Guadarrama

Professor of Mathematics
Rockhurst University
Kansas City, MO, USA

The interpretation of mathematical ideas, nature, and the relations and transitions between them, are at the core of my work as an artist. To this end, I often combine different media and elements from nature in my sculpture. I aim at creating pieces that have an element of familiarity for the viewers and then engage them in reflections about form and the creative process.

Los tres Amigos
Los tres Amigos
30 x 50 x 50 cm
Foam, wire, plastic
2020

Los Tres Amigos (The Three Amigos) are Alebrijes of Slice, a playful mathematical variation on the traditional colorful Mexican folk art creatures. These winged cats are constructed starting from the idea of a cat resting in space as the generating concept. This cat is then sliced with cuts parallel to the xy, xz and yz planes to generate the pieces that come together into each representation. The intent of the piece is to explore the artistic possibilities of each slicing direction, and to highlight the back and forth between three dimensional and two dimensional thought.