“80 years separate Vasarely from the young Felipe Pantone and yet if they had met, their discussions on art and its possible forms would have certainly been endless.”
- Magda Danysz
The second part of “Vibrations”, the exhibition held in 2019 at Danysz Paris – Marais is now on display at Danysz Shanghai. Built on its previous success, the optico-kinetic show – at the same time vibrant, participatory and contemplative – evolves around historic names in contemporary art and gives way to a new generation of artists. More than 70 years after the advent of this movement which crossed the borders, the artists presented within “Vibrations,” such as 1010, Elias Crespin, Jan Kaláb, David Moreno, Felipe Pantone and Li Shurui, bring a new discourse taking control over new technologies.
In the wake of the great masters of the 60's while at the same time emancipating themselves from them, these artists bring to light abstract geometric forms – a style that also includes kinetic art – which continue to shake up visual reference points. Indeed, beyond the international dialogue that Danysz has been defending for more than 30 years, this is a dialogue between different generations that is offered through “Vibrations.”
It is then essential to go back to the origins of this significant movement to understand the complexity and beauty of geometric abstraction. At the end of the Second World War and in a great gust of freedom, a group of artists came together around a new aesthetic while refusing an academicism that could be linked to a figurative tradition. From Vasarely to Cruz-Diez without forgetting Soto and Le Parc, the elements at the heart of their art and which gather them are these clear and radical forms. Beyond the narrative, the emotion finds its source in the combination of forms and colors. Theorized by Vasarely in 1955 in the “Yellow Manifesto,” this movement advocates strong ideas around participative art and dynamism, thus bringing the first foundations around the concept of the multiple.
This group show presents works by Felipe Pantone, whose research lies at the intersection of art and science and aims at accuracy and rationality. Pantone, who began as a teenager practicing street art in Torrevieja, in the south of Spain, has gradually evolved to give way to geometric abstraction. Participative, playful, aesthetic and contemplative, the visitor is invited to take part in the kinetic transformation of the artist's works that consist of a controlled chaos such as a representation of our world in the digital age.
Also on display, Elias Crespin’s mobiles that consist of hand-modeled metal mesh or individual elements of different materials that form a set of geometric figures. Suspended from almost invisible nylon threads connected to motors and directed by computer programming, the artist’s sculptures gently draw a dance in space and are transformed in an almost imperceptible way. They move from one form to another and from order to chaos following a choreography created by Crespin. To this research on form, space, time and movement, the Venezuelan artist often associates the study of color through the experimentation of different materials and textures, shadows and light.
“Vibrations” features works by 1010 as well, an artist recognized worldwide for his murals. His astonishing trompe l'oeil optical illusions play with perspectives and disturb our landmarks by creating portals that cross the walls. Whether on a canvas, on a street corner, on a billboard scarred by time or on concrete walls, 1010's creations come to life on all supports. The artist demonstrates a strong graphic coherence created through hypnotic and colorful constructions he spreads around the world.
Without forgetting Li Shirui, a central figure of the contemporary Chinese scene, who has focused her research on the relationship between space and light. Fascinated by the visual patterns of LED lights, which are an integral part of the modern Chinese urban landscape, she transforms them through optical illusions by playing with perspective. Her works provide a meditative and soothing effect that enfolds the viewer in an alternative reality.
Finally, at the junction between painting and sculpture, the work of Jan Kaláb is eminently minimal. The works of the Czech visual artist appear as enlarged microorganisms, coexisting fluidly and naturally with their environment. Kaláb uses a visually impactful palette, often incorporating hues of neon blue, pink or orange. Despite their bold colors, his works are seamlessly aligned with their surroundings, offering a new kind of visual experience.
Therefore, by reactivating an artistic trend born in the middle of the last century, Danysz Shanghai - The Bund demonstrates through “Vibrations” how these artists of the new generation have been able to flourish on the international scene by pushing back the limits of this uninterruptedly developing movement, while continually enriching and seizing on new scientific and technological innovations, as well as the possibilities offered by the most recently invented materials and means of expression.
