Nine Pentagons: Concave/Convex

Robert Maki

Meydenbauer Center

A series of unique pentagons highlights the perception of shape.

Each piece in this series of nine minimal drawings by Robert Maki presents a hard or soft pentagon—all of them solid, dark, and drawn with graphite, but each with its own unique shadows, forms, and voids. The series reflects Maki’s ongoing interest in the somatic and perceptual experience of shape.

Maki first explored the concave/convex pentagon in his Seattle studio in 1968, and the pentagon went on to become a central element in many of his large-scale projects, including his sculptures at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, The Evergreen State College, and Western Washington University.

Nine Pentagons: Concave/Convex is currently on view on the second floor of the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, WA. It was commissioned as part of the Honors Program, which recognizes visual artists who have made significant contributions to our region through the sustained production of high-quality artwork.

Born in Walla Walla, WA, and based in Seattle, Maki makes drawings and sculpture. He is primarily known for his minimalist abstract metalworks, which evidence his careful consideration of the direction of the sun, time of day, and weather conditions in which they are viewed. Maki has exhibited in France, Japan, Canada, and throughout the United States since the 1960s and has artworks in many collections, including Seattle Art Museum and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.