Reuben Margolin

Combining the Logic of Math with the Sensuousness of Nature

Reuben Margolin is an artist and sculptor known for his kinetic sculptures of waveforms. Some of his sculptures are hand-cranked and small, while others are large and mechanical, often suspended from the ceiling.

Margolin was raised in Berkeley, California. His love for math and physics propelled him to Harvard, but he ultimately changed paths and got a degree in English. From there, he went on to study traditional painting in Italy and Russia.

In 1999, he became obsessed with the movement of a little green caterpillar. It was an unexpected start to an interesting journey, as he set out to make wave-like sculptures. In 2004 he moved to his current studio in Emeryville and began making a series of large-scale undulating installations that attempt to combine the logic of mathematics with the sensuousness of nature. He has since made about 20 of these mechanical mobiles and shown them internationally. He also makes pedal-powered rickshaws and has collaborated on a couple large-scale pedal-powered vehicles.