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“It seems strange that, even though we live in a ‘hyper baroque polychromatic society’ we never worry to question the established notions about colour…” - Carlos Cruz-Díez
The Mayor Gallery will present an exhibition of recent works by the Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Díez. Born in 1923 in Caracas, Cruz-Díez is a leading kinetic and op artist, and still remains the greatest proponent of this movement. He is represented in museums worldwide, and is considered a pioneer of colour theory and perception.
Throughout his career Cruz-Díez has focused on four types of self-defined op art categories: Physichoromies, Chromointerferences, Chromosaturations, and Transchromies. All of these colour-based experiments focus on variations of the observer’s position in relation to the work, the light directed at the work, and the relationship between the colours presented.
The most significant of these categories are the Physichromies, of which ten will be on display. These involve active participation as the colour of the work changes depending on the position of the viewer. Cruz-Díez uses the moiré effect to produce a sensation of motion by his particular composition of lines. He refers to this changing effect of the image as “vibrations”. The exhibition will also feature a Transchromie set in the window of the gallery, which is a structure of interposing transparent plastic coloured plates; and an Environment Chromointerferente of interactive coloured projections set in the basement gallery.
The exhibition will offer an insight into the thinking process behind the artist’s exploration of the liberating, participatory experience of colour as a physical presence. Through his work, Cruz-Díez wishes to engage the viewer in a direct chromatic experience outside traditional cultural conventions, empowering the spectator in the active creation of the piece’s meaning. In contrast to well-known artists such as Mark Rothko, Barnett Newmann, and James Turrell, who offered colour as a contemplative experience, Cruz-Díez demands the viewer’s participation.
Visitor Information
Mayor Gallery 22a Cork Street, London, W1S 3NA
Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-5.30pm; Sat 10am-1pm
Admission: Free
Nearest Tube Station: Green Park or Piccadilly Circus.
Press enquiries: Niina Cunynghame at The Mayor Gallery
niina@mayorgallery.com +44(0)20 7734 3558
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