Socratic Codices 

I'm pleased to announce an upcoming solo exhibit in November 2011 at the Contreras Gallery, Tucson, AZ. With twenty two pieces planed, I'll be diligently occupied with this series titled...

Socratic Codices

The Eleven Eleven Series

   When I was thirteen, the number 11:11 began appearing everywhere, seeming almost to follow me.  In my attempt to decipher it’s message, I assigned the cryptic number to the four directions, North, South, East and West.  Each element traveling on their own separate path.  It was then that the concept of dynamic sets of individual, yet collective, members of a family was born.  At that point, 11:11 stopped being a number and became a symbol that grew into the impetus for this project.

 The intention of this series, ‘The Socratic Codices- The Eleven Eleven Series’ is to shine a light on the phenomenon of age-old esoteric relationships found in every aspect of human experience. Each piece in the series has its own theme combining a coherent family of four elements.  These families range from the familiar four directions to the lesser known (in Western culture) Bhutanese motif of the four harmonious friends,
the elephant, hare, monkey and partridge.  To date, I have compiled research from over the past twenty years to produce the imagery. All in toll, I have gathered and outlined more than eighty families, a remarkable collection but I must point out, I did not discover them but rather stumbled on their symbolic commonalities.

 The title of this series refers to the ‘Socratic’ method which is a form of inquiry and debate between individuals with opposing viewpoints based on asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking and to illuminate ideas. ‘Codices’ is a Latin word originally meaning “trunk of a tree” referring to the pre-Columbian Aztec pictorial books made from the Amate tree.  The goal of ‘The Socratic Codices’ is my attempt to intervene on the behalf of society and Nature, to highlight the connection we have between the two, but that is so easily forgotten.

                                                                             Ruben Urrea Moreno September 2011