Color, movement and perception are the primary subjects in the work of famed Franco-Venezuelan artist, Carlos Cruz-Diez (b. 1923, Caracas). In the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern, the artist dematerialized the vast space, creating an immersive and ambiguous environment that questioned our perception of time, perspective and volume. Spatial Chromointerference, a site-specific projection of continuously moving chromatic modules on the walls, columns, walkways and floating objects within the Cistern, invited visitors to become an essential component of the artwork. We participated as both actor and author in an ever-changing, color-infused event.
Cruz-Diez’s acclaimed contributions to color theory and kinetic practice have shaped modern and contemporary art on an international scale. His early study of the Venezuelan kinetic art movement and Impressionism informed the artist’s revolutionary explorations into color, and his later interest in Bauhaus and European avant-garde led him to abstract interactive projects. Cruz-Diez’s prolific body of work has established him as one of the key 20th century thinkers in the realm of color and light.
Artist: Carlos Cruz-Diez (Instagram/Website)
Location: Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern
Date: 2018
Type: Site-specific Artwork Loan
Role: Lead Project Manager at Weingarten Art Group
Photos by Paul Hester, courtesy of Buffalo Bayou Partnership