For many of us, a cactus is just something we see in the desert. For some, it’s an easy-to-maintain houseplant. And for those of us who are truly unlucky, it’s an easy-to-kill houseplant. But for Héctor Cosío, the mind behind the newest exhibition at Idea Fab Labs in Chico, the cactus is a majestic source of inspiration and wonder.

Cosío, raised in Mexico City pursued his master’s degree in ephemeral architecture at ELISAVA Barcelona School of Design and Engineering.

A friend of Cosío’s introduced him to Aaron, one of the founding members of Idea Fab Labs, who expressed interest in moving into design projects rather than the art based exhibitions typically shown at Idea Fab Labs.

Cosío describes the upcoming exhibition as a 3-D exploration of forms based on cactuses. He has a deep interest in the sacred geometry of nature, especially of the cactus plant.

“If you slice cactuses, you see a perfect star. That for me is something beyond rational explanation, answers. On top of that, cactuses are succulents. They contain a lot of water, and we’re made out of that. If we think of ourselves, our bodies as sculptures, the main material is water,” Cosío said.

Though many artists like Cosío dream about their work being featured in a gallery, the process of organizing an exhibition is much less glamorous than some would think. Deadlines, for an example, still need to be met.

“I heard that this is the fastest exhibition Idea Fab Labs had done, and it was only a month and a half, so I only have a month and a half to finish whatever I wanted to do,” Cosío said.

Cosío’s teachers at ELISAVA had one of the biggest impact on him as a designer and artist. After studying with them, his thought about the most basic aspects of design had expanded.

“A line has so many characteristics. For example, the width of line, if it’s dashed, if it’s dotted, if one end is wider than the other end, just the line on its own is a lot of communication. It’s the very minimum method of expression and from that method of expression, many things grow.”

As for advice for students of art and design, Cosío gave them words of encouragement.

“Follow your dreams and whatever path you’re finding, and follow it through and thoroughly. Don’t give up. It’s a discipline, and you have to keep going. Improve every time you go at it, and try to do your best all the time. Don’t let your dreams fall down. On the contrary. Keep following them.”

The exhibition will run for the next month and a half at Idea Fab Labs and can be viewed during open house hours, Mondays from 6-8 p.m.

Adrianna McCain can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_arts on Twitter.