Canvas and Acrylic Paint; 60" x 84"
In a field of prime numbers – represented here in colorful Braille dots on a dark landscape - Saiers has included the Braille text for his own name. Given the prime numbers’ centrality to math and human thought, the choice to include oneʼs own name is playfully narcissistic.
High quality signed and numbered lithographs are available on this piece.
Ship of Theseus is a playful yet sinister work commenting on the state of the inflated international art market, which is both volatile and – like any bubble – a fragile ecosystem that must be treated delicately to survive. Here, a translucent bubble optically encases a quote by Isaac Newton written in Braille: “I can calculate the movement of the stars, but not the madness of men." (uttered after losing a fortune on the South Seas Bubble burst). The colorful braille marks resemble spots on Damien Hirst's paintings.
Dots that match the Braille in the bubble form a pictorial Ship of Theseus, which precariously floats atop the bubble itself – threatening to collapse it at any moment. Its ominous presence brings into question the impermanence of all art, but especially of the current market environment, where art’s monetary value is hiked almost daily past unprecedented levels. More presciently, this work questions the definition of original art, recalling again the mimicked permanence of Hirst's The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, in which a shark is suspended in formaldehyde: In reality, the shark deteriorated even within the tank intended to preserve it, and had to be replaced. If indeed the market is a bloated mass, then its greatest threat may be the refute of originality.
Metal; 48" x 48"
“Ode to Kandinsky No. 4” focuses on the revolutionary painter, Wasily Kandisnky, He was known to "use" the sounds of music to produce art. Some theorize due to his suffering from synesthesia. It is well known that music and math have been interrelated since the time of Pythagoras. In Saiers Ode to Kandinsky no 4 the main driver behind the composition is not music but the mathematics on which western music "is based". This "Kandinsky-like" composition also incorporates an idea around the famous Russians composition no. 4.
In Right or Wrong Saiers depicts the fall of Napoleon and the return of the Bourbons through words and mathematics. Events depicted include Bonaparte's defeat by the 6th and 7th Coalitions and his exile at Elba. Even the theory that he died due to arsenic poisoning from the green paint (Scheele) in his St Helena prison is addressed in the piece.
And the math points to the volatile nature of France during this period through the lens and experiences of an iconic mathematician named Augustin Louis Cauchy. In particular Cauchy’s success during periods where the climate was more right wing and ineffectiveness when the political climate swung back to the left. One element in this piece is an original letter by Napoleon from 1807 trapped in a bourbon bottle. Conspicuously absent from the piece is the use of braille. To the left of where the painting is hung a wall space similar in size to the painting should be left blank. A foot above the gap between the painting and “space” a pendulum should be hung.
A white flag typically is associated with weakness and surrender. In contrast to this, Tang celebrates the extraordinary achievement of the United States Apollo 11 mission to the moon. The work draws on the iconic imagery of the United States flag that Neil Armstrong planted on the moon's surface, which in reality was bleached white by radiation due to the moon's limited atmosphere. Here, the white flag backdrop recalls this highest of accomplishments. The most prominent feature of the work is the word “Peace” painted in 11 Tang colored braille marks. This word hints at another goal we should all strive for, but also references the plaque Armstrong left on the moon that stated, “We came in peace for all mankind”. The choice of Tang points to the drink-maker’s strong marketing campaign around the lunar missions.
The variety of sizes for the braille marks points to Galileo's observation that gravity (an importamt actor in the Apollo missions) is indifferent to the size of an object and the fact Galileo went blind late in life. The choice of braille was also used to point to our collective blindness towards many of the world's problems.
Pin Up focuses on women in math and science. A Pin Up is typically thought of as an alluring image of a women with wide pop culture often appearing on calendars , i.e. pinned on a wall. By challenging the physical view of a beautiful woman with Maria Agnesi, a woman who was both very mathematically talented and deeply charitable, the piece highlights her pioneering work on calculus, notably her magnum opus, Analytical Institutions, which is considered to be the first book on differential and integral calculus. A field of braille marks spells it's title. Constructed with painted pieces of calendar and thumb tacks, the size and coloring of the circles hint at some of the theories she highlighted in this book especially those of Leonard Euler, who went blind late in life.
An excluded element was added.