Eric Mack creates mathematically based renderings with a distinct post-modern twist. His works are informed with superimposed grids, patterns, and portals. Layered surfaces are created with paint, found objects, natural fibers, and synthetic substrates that explore the systems of our visual world.
An exhibition of his work, Ordo naturalis, was on view Jan 20 – April 23, 2022 in the McCormack Gallery of the Albany Museum of Art.
As a mixed-media artist, the Charleston, S.C., native has explored the use of a variety of materials, such as architectural blueprints, mineral-derived pigments, peat-free soil, and natural fibers, recycled packing paper, natural dyes, synthetic ultraviolet shade screens, handmade paper, and seeds sourced from his home garden. This combination of materials represents a harmonic vision of seamlessly intertwined natural plant systems and geometric composition.
Over the last four years, Mack has immersed himself into the study of nature, plant propagation, and architectural design. These works represent the knowledge, care, and total fulfillment that these two subjects have provided him. The unison between botany and architectural design has ignited the fuse that has lit his path for further creative development.
The title of the exhibition is informed by the work of Carolus Linnaeus, who is usually regarded as the founder of modern taxonomy. The Linnaean naming system was designated for living organisms, but Mack has made connections between these Divine Proportions used in science and mathematics, and architecture. Divine Proportion, a ratio that is also often referred to as “Phi,” is prevalent in every aspect of our universe, from the natural growth pattern of the nautilus seashell to the pyramids of Egypt to the musical compositions of Mozart and Beethoven.
