Gabriel Orozco: The Samurai Tree Invariants

by Gabriel Orozco (Contributor)

Taking the Samurai move (sometimes also called the Knight's move) from the game of chess as his starting point, conceptual artist Gabriel Orozco examines all of the possible mutations within a self-defined spatial and color system in this extremely elaborate, and also quite elegant, artist's book. In each of the 672 digital prints reproduced here, a circle is drawn in the center, and moving out from this point, a sequence of increased or decreased circles is also drawn, until the limits of the square are reached. Each of these original prints is roughly 20 inches square, and seen together, they calculate all the possible movements and variations within the rules that Orozco set, which he called "The Samurai Tree." This book spells out an almost incomprehensible complexity in white red, blue and gold.

676 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2007

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book hoping that it would help with my research on the artist. However, the book only contains illustrations of some 600 artworks and no information. While the artworks are visually arresting, I found that the lack of research and information about the concept behind the series contributed to a disappointing encounter. The book is a lot of fun to flip through if you are into modern and contemporary art but do not read it thinking that you will find out more about Orozco's methods and conceptual work.