September 23, 2023

Infinite Constructs: The Fractal Architecture Series at Adjacent To Life

Tinsquo's curatorial project, Adjacent To Life, presents Infinite Constructs: The Fractal Architecture Series by Aleko Syntelis.

Hell's-Gate.jpg
Fires at the Gates of Hell, 2022

Aleko Syntelis’s Infinite Constructs: The Fractal Architecture Series explores architecture as a mechanism to reveal what they describe as “the mesmerizing complexity and beauty of recursive structures.”

Historically, society harnessed natural resources, bending and shaping them to give birth to architectural marvels. Infinite Constructs takes this transformation a step further. Through the artist's lens, architecture—once a testament to human ingenuity—undergoes another metamorphosis, bending and folding into new, unimagined shapes that challenge our perception of space and material. This series invites the viewer to a space where the walls between the natural world, societal constructs, and artistic reimagination blur and intermingle.

Hunter's-Point.jpg
Hunter's Point, 2022

In this body of work the artist explores the built environment as a “relatable approach to psychedelic art.” While the world of art has seen interpretations of fractals and kaleidoscopic patterns, Infinite Constructs carves a niche of its own. What sets this series apart is the maintenance of structural integrity. These aren't just random or chaotic bends; they are calculated, precise, and informed by an understanding of architectural principles. Unlike typical kaleidoscopic art, which might lose the essence of its origin in the pursuit of patterns, Infinite Constructs ensures that the essence of architecture—the strength, design, and purpose—is preserved, even in its transformed state.

Syntelis’s recombinant photographs posit that even the most Brutalist of human constructions contain the same iterative structure of self-similarity across scale as does nature. This suggests that architecture - and other human assemblages - maintain an expression of nature and as such might be accessed as a source of abstracted spiritual refreshment in a manner comparable to that of an excursion into untrammeled wilderness.

Tribeca-1.jpg
Tribeca #1, 2022

In these images, ostensibly static buildings are recast as objects of contemplation in the form of interstellar, interdimensional crafts. Ready to survey worlds interior and exterior, these fantastic, gravity-liberated vehicles welcome the viewer into the driver’s seat to experience expanding symmetry as the pervading architecture of nature --- a story of transformation --- from nature to architecture, and from architecture to art. It prompts viewers to ponder upon the spaces they inhabit, the materials they encounter, and the infinite possibilities of reimagination.

Infinite Constructs: The Fractal Architecture Series is on view through October 27, 2023 at the Adjacent To Life gallery housed in Ninth Street Espresso (341 E. 10th Street at Ave B, New York City). Opening reception: Monday, October 9, 7:00 - 9:00.

Posted by Mark Roth at September 23, 2023 12:03 AM