CRUZ-DIEZ AT ISLAA: COLOR AS AN EXPERIENCE IN CONSTANT TRANSFORMATION
The exhibition brings together 23 works that trace the Venezuelan artist’s fundamental investigations into chromatic perception.
The Institute for Studies on Latin American Art (ISLAA), New York, presents Carlos Cruz-Diez: Color at Stake, an exhibition featuring twentythree works by Venezuelan artist and major figure of international Kinetic and Op art. Spanning 1955 to 1988, the show celebrates Carlos Cruz-Diez's (1923–2019) contribution to the understanding of color as an experience that evolves in time and space, illuminating the early projects that established him as one of the foremost researchers on color theory in the twentieth century.
Cruz-Diez’s investigations into color and his trajectory as an artist unfolded over several distinct phases and across continents. He began his artistic practice while working in Caracas as a graphic designer, art director, and illustrator. An innovator and visionary, he went on to conduct several in-depth studies on color across experiments in its optical and embodied properties after relocating to Paris in 1960.
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Installation view of Carlos Cruz-Diez: Color at Stake, Institute for Studies on Latin American Art (ISLAA), New York, 2026. Photo: Marc Tatti
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Installation view of Carlos Cruz-Diez: Color at Stake, Institute for Studies on Latin American Art (ISLAA), New York, 2026. Photo: Marc Tatti
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Installation view of Carlos Cruz-Diez: Color at Stake, Institute for Studies on Latin American Art (ISLAA), New York, 2026. Photo: Marc Tatti
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Installation view of Carlos Cruz-Diez: Color at Stake, Institute for Studies on Latin American Art (ISLAA), New York, 2026. Photo: Marc Tatti
This exhibition brings together some of his earliest paintings, from the Signos vegetales series (Vegetal Signs, 1955-56), with select works from his landmark Physichromie, Induction chromatique, Chromointerférence, and Chromoscope series. Featuring abstractions that appear to change as the viewer moves in space, these works serve as physical manifestations of Cruz-Diez's research into color as an autonomous and ever-evolving event. They are accompanied by portfolios and archival materials, including documents and early publications designed and illustrated by the artist, providing an insightful look into his exploration of color and the trajectory of his formal vocabulary.
In encouraging his audience’s participation, Cruz-Diez's legacy occupies a singular place in the history of kinetic art. His work immerses us in a world in constant transformation, inviting viewers to reconsider color as a living, changing, and participatory phenomenon rooted in perpetual becoming.
On view until May 2, 2026, Carlos Cruz-Diez: Color at Stake is curated by Jordi Ballart, collections consultant, with Starasea Camara, curatorial and public engagement assistant. It is accompanied by an original illustrated booklet featuring essays by the curator and Agustín Diez Fischer, senior manager of research and archives.
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