NEWSROOM
Entrepreneur and Artist merges worlds with new exhibition
19 August 2020
What is the most important thing in the world? He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata. The people.
Kiwis who have achieved incredible things on the world stage are being celebrated at Symbolically Kiwi, an interactive art exhibition by MrGeometric, otherwise known as Ang Nayyar, software engineer and previous CEO of the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship’s Velocity programme (formerly Spark). His latest exhibition merges the worlds of art and entrepreneurship by showcasing the inherent potential in people. It features prominent Kiwi figures including former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, space entrepreneur Peter Beck, and rapper Jess Bourke.
“What the Symbolic Kiwis have in common is that they’re doing incredible things in a diverse set of fields and have stories which will resonate with the public. I tried to assemble a line-up which would allow any Kiwi to walk in and be like ‘Wow, this person is amazing! They have a similar background to me, they look like me, and if they can do it, then so can I!’” says Ang. The exhibition also aims to show that when one succeeds, we all succeed. “When Peter Beck succeeds, he’s creating an industry which didn’t exist. When Helen Clark succeeds, she’s paving the way for many more amazing female leaders,” explains Ang.
MrGeometric’s art explores the relationship between shapes and humans. He designs unique shapes that capture the essence of a person, making the scene more dynamic, primal, and meaningful. Ang says, “My art style came from what resonated with me. I believe it’s because it speaks to something primal within us – something subconscious. When your brain interprets a scene that you’re looking at, it first sees the edges. It then combines the edges into shapes. Finally, it looks at the texture within the shapes to decipher what you’re looking at. Colour doesn’t come into the equation till much later. My geometric art works in the same way, it follows the mechanisms by which you see – before any conscious thought occurs.”
Ang’s involvement with innovation and entrepreneurship came in useful when creating Symbolically Kiwi. “This was the epitome of having to innovate and do the classic entrepreneurship thing of getting hundreds of ‘No’s. And it was hundreds.” He thanks the people and companies who supported his project, “without whom this just wouldn’t be possible” – Panasonic, Mass Design, Madusha (Expo Labs), and Silo Park (Panuku). “They’ve played no small part in the creation of this movement, and their belief in it is very humbling.”
Ang is also the CEO and co-founder of StrutFit, a platform that allows online shoe shoppers to get perfect fitting footwear by scanning their feet with their phone. StrutFit uses deep learning to measure the foot and recommend a shoe size. The StrutFit team have hustled this past year improving and growing the platform. “We are live with many more clients and are about to drop with some household names,” says Ang.
While Covid-19 presented StrutFit with its fair share of challenges – tighter budgets and much uncertainty – there was also a silver lining. “Covid-19 has sped up digital adoption and made it clear that people need to be ready to shop primarily online. StrutFit is going to be the company which brings retail into the future. All retail. So helping retailers and brands realize that technology is crucial is only a good thing for us.”
There are also big plans for MrGeometric. “MrGeometric is going to be one of the biggest artists on the planet. But you can only live life a day at a time. We’re focused on the moment, executing and enjoying it completely.”
Ang’s advice for budding artists is the same for innovators and entrepreneurs: “Be curious, explore, and don’t judge yourself. You don’t have to know where the end goal is when you start. All the big ideas, even StrutFit, started from just experimenting. And don’t compare yourself to others, just do whatever you enjoy. My art started off as just playing around. If you told me five years ago that I’d be creating the biggest interactive art exhibition in New Zealand, I would’ve said ‘What? I don’t even make art – I’m a software engineer.’”
Experience the stories of iconic Kiwis at Symbolically Kiwi, 12 – 27 September, 9am to 9pm daily at Silo 6, Silo Park.
You can follow Ang’s creative and entrepreneurial journeys on Instagram. @mrgeometric @strut.fit @angnayyar
19 August 2020
What is the most important thing in the world? He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata. The people.
Kiwis who have achieved incredible things on the world stage are being celebrated at Symbolically Kiwi, an interactive art exhibition by MrGeometric, otherwise known as Ang Nayyar, software engineer and previous CEO of the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship’s Velocity programme (formerly Spark). His latest exhibition merges the worlds of art and entrepreneurship by showcasing the inherent potential in people. It features prominent Kiwi figures including former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, space entrepreneur Peter Beck, and rapper Jess Bourke.
“What the Symbolic Kiwis have in common is that they’re doing incredible things in a diverse set of fields and have stories which will resonate with the public. I tried to assemble a line-up which would allow any Kiwi to walk in and be like ‘Wow, this person is amazing! They have a similar background to me, they look like me, and if they can do it, then so can I!’” says Ang. The exhibition also aims to show that when one succeeds, we all succeed. “When Peter Beck succeeds, he’s creating an industry which didn’t exist. When Helen Clark succeeds, she’s paving the way for many more amazing female leaders,” explains Ang.
MrGeometric’s art explores the relationship between shapes and humans. He designs unique shapes that capture the essence of a person, making the scene more dynamic, primal, and meaningful. Ang says, “My art style came from what resonated with me. I believe it’s because it speaks to something primal within us – something subconscious. When your brain interprets a scene that you’re looking at, it first sees the edges. It then combines the edges into shapes. Finally, it looks at the texture within the shapes to decipher what you’re looking at. Colour doesn’t come into the equation till much later. My geometric art works in the same way, it follows the mechanisms by which you see – before any conscious thought occurs.”
Ang’s involvement with innovation and entrepreneurship came in useful when creating Symbolically Kiwi. “This was the epitome of having to innovate and do the classic entrepreneurship thing of getting hundreds of ‘No’s. And it was hundreds.” He thanks the people and companies who supported his project, “without whom this just wouldn’t be possible” – Panasonic, Mass Design, Madusha (Expo Labs), and Silo Park (Panuku). “They’ve played no small part in the creation of this movement, and their belief in it is very humbling.”
Ang is also the CEO and co-founder of StrutFit, a platform that allows online shoe shoppers to get perfect fitting footwear by scanning their feet with their phone. StrutFit uses deep learning to measure the foot and recommend a shoe size. The StrutFit team have hustled this past year improving and growing the platform. “We are live with many more clients and are about to drop with some household names,” says Ang.
While Covid-19 presented StrutFit with its fair share of challenges – tighter budgets and much uncertainty – there was also a silver lining. “Covid-19 has sped up digital adoption and made it clear that people need to be ready to shop primarily online. StrutFit is going to be the company which brings retail into the future. All retail. So helping retailers and brands realize that technology is crucial is only a good thing for us.”
There are also big plans for MrGeometric. “MrGeometric is going to be one of the biggest artists on the planet. But you can only live life a day at a time. We’re focused on the moment, executing and enjoying it completely.”
Ang’s advice for budding artists is the same for innovators and entrepreneurs: “Be curious, explore, and don’t judge yourself. You don’t have to know where the end goal is when you start. All the big ideas, even StrutFit, started from just experimenting. And don’t compare yourself to others, just do whatever you enjoy. My art started off as just playing around. If you told me five years ago that I’d be creating the biggest interactive art exhibition in New Zealand, I would’ve said ‘What? I don’t even make art – I’m a software engineer.’”
Experience the stories of iconic Kiwis at Symbolically Kiwi, 12 – 27 September, 9am to 9pm daily at Silo 6, Silo Park.
You can follow Ang’s creative and entrepreneurial journeys on Instagram. @mrgeometric @strut.fit @angnayyar
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