Self-Similarity by Gavin Shapiro

In what began as a whimsical exploration into a wonderland of mathematical curiosities, “Self-Similarity” celebrates the allure of fractals, particularly those that retain the same underlying structure even when viewed at increasing levels of magnification.

Upon reaching deeper into the fractal, however, awe and bewilderment are gradually replaced by the harrowing realization that this neverending geometric hellscape is in fact a psychological prison; a hauntingly infinite numerical abyss where beginnings and ends are one in the same; an inescapable blight on the psyche that teases the illusion of progress but in fact holds captive those who wish to find their bearings within its endless shapes and forms. Can some grand sense of meaning possibly be derived from this nightmare of infinite contexts and hierarchies? Is reality in fact a bleakly quantifiable existence in which everything can be distilled into the same set of rules on varying scales? Do we truly have free will, or are our decisions merely shaped by our environment and the behavioral patterns we’ve developed throughout our lives? What are we aiming towards, both as individuals and as a species, and why do we do what we do?

Through the comforting lens of the majestic penguin, “Self-Similarity” invites viewers to reflect on the source of meaning in their own lives and asks why we choose to move in directions we seemingly decide on our own.

Music by DymaiMusic.

About Gavin Shapiro

Gavin Shapiro is a digital artist whose ultimate goal is to produce work that makes you smile. He focuses primarily on playful conceptual artworks that explore how we can use digital tools to confront our expectations of what’s possible in a traditionally physical art world. He's lived in New York, Osaka and Paris, working on a large variety of projects including tv shows, commercials, outdoor displays, large-format stage visuals, and animations for casino games.

His personal work, released under the name “shapiro500,” has been used as visuals at music festivals and concerts all over the world, and has been shown on digital billboards as part of art exhibitions in New York City, Paris and Tokyo. His animations have accumulated hundreds of millions of views across Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, and Giphy, and have been sold as NFTs on Nifty Gateway and SuperRare since mid-2020.

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