Mathematics and Biology

Painter: Ham
Series: Hybrid Cryptic 1998-2000

Each painting in the Hybrid Cryptic series feature two disciplines. The above painting Mathematics and Biology contains images from both those subjects.

Math and Biology are two disciplines that have become powerful enough, in common knowledge, to shape our world. Reflecting upon and meditating, with ideas and concepts present in everyday life, is the process I use to generate paintings. Math and Biology inform us with knowledge about living bodies and their environment. Concepts and ideas learnt in Math and Biology allow us to think in a disciplined way so as to organize our lives.    

Mathematics
In the upper left hand corner of the painting is the word mathematics. Under Mathematics is a sphere shape representing earth in which we can see a clock, representing time, and the lines of longitude and latitude representing space. Time and space are two concepts we use to locate and organize ourselves with, in everyday life. Without Math we would not have the knowledge of time and space that we have today.

Biology
On the left we can see two hands playing with hair. In the middle of the painting we can see a pair of legs and on the right we can see a torso and head. Clearly this body is divided, split up and seperated across the painting. The idea of splitting the body up into parts represents a biological view of the body, as a living organism, that can be studied in parts. Where as the traditional, enchanted spiritual view of a sacred body being the house of a soul is very different to the biological view. Some argue that biological interpretations of the human body, developed in depth since the enlightenment movement, challenges many traditional spiritual doctrines. In fact, over time an unenchanted biological labelling of the body and all its parts has emerged independent of religious thought. Therefore, ideas about disciplines of knowledge and their power to inform us in organizing human life need be understood, not just in an abstract way, but also in a social and political context. The French author Michel Foucault explores not only how things have come to be, but also how we have come to be things. An interesting idea indeed.

It may be argued that thinking with disciplines in mind and being able to realize a philosophy of existence, in abstract thought independent of spirituality, is a rather modern phenomenon.