The story of how Tangles came to be is based on the artistic journey of Richard X. Zawitz and his quest to unify his myriad of life experiences into the creation of a four dimensional energy form.

Zawitz’s journey began with his studies in Asian philosophy and art in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with scholar, teacher, and mentor, Chan Wing Tsit. From Chan he learned about Chinese philosophy and was convinced to further his studies at the University of Hawaii.

While in Hawaii, Zawitz studied with Prithwish Neogy, a renowned scholar of Asian art and aesthetics. Neogy’s mentoring, along with the influence of philosopher Jacques Maritain, Sigfried Giedion, calligrapher Morita Shiryu, and the story of Enku the Buddhist monk, drove Zawitz to develop his own philosophical pluralism.

When studying essential energy forms it was Zawitz’s goal to create a work of art with universal/cosmic energy. He had discovered heliocentric forms (spiral) in the art of most cultures of the world and in particles of mass. In 1972, when graduating from University of Hawaii, Zawitz used this heliocentric idea along with all of the knowledge acquired from his great mentors to complete a stone carving called First Twist, alongside a thesis titled Taoism and the Experience of Art.

Upon graduation, Zawitz’s curiosity and interest in a four dimensional energy form led him to the Far East and Kyoto, where he studied wood and stone carving in the ancient traditions. It was during his travels that he came across the Tibetan infinite knot, containing a pattern of interwoven lines with no beginning and no end that symbolizes infinite life and creation. It was this symbol that captivated and inspired him artistically and ultimately bore the creation of one of Richard’s major works: Statue of Infinity.  The statue is a magnificent, stainless steel sculpture, made of 20 sections of 8 inch diameter tubing that vertically rise into a series of endless twisted turns and curves.

Zawitz sees in his allusive work both the double helix as the building block of life and the cosmic spiral form of the galaxy. Although he has a distinct vision of what the statue incorporates, he believes everyone is an artist and has the opportunity to determine the form of the tangle according to their own personal aesthetic.

Because of this, we now have the Museum Collection comprised of smaller versions of the Statue of Infinity, so you can become your own artist and see for yourself the cosmic energy that Zawitz has created!