Capital City Arts Initiative

Artist’s Reception: Friday, September 20, 5 – 7pm
Exhibition Dates: September 20, 2013 – January 23, 2014
Exhibition Venue: CCAI Courthouse Gallery 885 E Musser Street, Carson City, Nevada

An Algebraic Lens
Exhibition at CCAI Courthouse Gallery

The Capital City Arts Initiative [CCAI] announces its exhibition, An Algebraic Lens, by artist Ben Hoffman at the CCAI Courthouse Gallery from September 20, 2013 – January 23, 2014. CCAI will host a reception for the artist on Friday, September 20, 5-7pm. The Courthouse is located at 885 E Musser Street, Carson City. The reception and the exhibition are free and the public is cordially invited. The gallery is open to the public Monday – Friday, 8am – 5pm.

Ben Hoffman intimately links mathematics and art in the artwork he creates. Having always been interested in mathematical parallels to the visual world, he began investigating techniques for math visualizations and calls his method of art making “The Cartesian Medium.” The process involves creating equations and making visual graphs of the equations to produce recognizable images.

An Algebraic Lens’ presents images of common objects – a shell, a tree, a flower, a red rock, a jellyfish – but the exhibition takes viewers deep into new visual territory. Hoffman brings magic to these everyday items through mathematical calculations, computer capabilities, and his unique vision. On each canvas, Hoffman shares the equation he used to generate the image along with the huge quantity of numbers plugged into the equation. In An Algebraic Lens, Hoffman creates a perfect alignment of art and science.

A native of Fairbanks, Alaska, Hoffman spent a lot of time outdoors exploring Alaska’s rich natural environment. He later studied at the University of Nevada Reno where he earned a B.S. in Mathematics and a minor in music. He has worked as a construction laborer, reindeer wrangler, musician, writer, and now as a game designer with Crazy Tooth Studio in Reno.

Artist and writer, Chris Lanier, wrote the exhibition essay, Ben Hoffman: An Endlessly Elegant Playground; click here to read the essay. Lanier has a background in both traditional and digital media. His animation has screened at Sundance and won awards at several international festivals. He is also an essayist and critic whose art criticism has appeared in a variety of online and print publications. He is currently Associate Professor of Digital Art at Sierra Nevada College.

The Capital City Arts Initiative is an artist-centered organization committed to the encouragement and support of artists and the arts and culture of Carson City and the surrounding region. The Initiative is committed to community building for the area’s diverse adult and youth populations through art projects and exhibitions, live events, arts education programs, artist residencies, and online projects.

CCAI is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, John Ben Snow Memorial Trust, City of Carson City, Nevada Arts Council, Nevada Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities, John and Grace Naumann Foundation, and the Carson Nugget.

top image: Jellyfish, 12’x5′, canvas print, 2013
bottom image: Forget-Me-Not, 12’x5′, canvas print, 2013