‘Cinetik !’

Cinetik ! presents a journey through lumino-kinetic and op art with thirteen artists from different generations with solid careers and representing this movement. The show is organized by the Stämpfli Foundation with the collaboration of the Museums of Sitges and the Grand Palais of Paris, which is presenting the show Dynamo until July 2, a comprehensive exhibit on lumino-kinetics.

Cinetik ! (Sitges) and Dynamo (Paris) are both curated by the Sorbonne’s professor emeritus Serge Lemoine, ex-director of the Museé d’Orsay in Paris. Lemoine also directed the first exhibition of the collection of the Foundation’s initial works at the Miramar Building in Sitges, and he was responsible for the two shows at the Foundation’s facilities, in April 2011 and October 2012.

Cinetik ! revolves around an artistic trend developed between the years 1950 and 1960: lumino-kinetics. In their works, the artists who were a part of it devoted themselves to dealing with the notions of vision, space, light, structures and movements through installations the visitor can interact with.

The Stämpfli Foundation presents a selection of the historic op-art and kinetic artists that participated in this movement and who share the particularity of having Spanish and Latin American origins, although most of them would wind up living in Paris: Antonio Asís, Martha Boto, Carlos Cruz-Díez, Iván Contreras-Brunet, Hugo Demarco, Ángel Duarte, Horacio García-Rossi, Francisco Sobrino, Jesús Rafael Soto, Luís Tomasello, Gregorio Vardanega. Arriving from Argentina, Chile, Venezuela or Spain, the thirteen artists made a name for themselves in the French capital, where they were a part of the different op art trends.

This movement continues to influence numerous contemporary artists –like Elías Crespin, also exhibiting here–, who reinterpret the themes explored by the previous generation: gratings, interferences, instability, programming, permutation, chance, force fields, twinkling, real or virtual movement... All the creations are based on the experience of vision, the appreciation of phenomena and the exclusive use of an abstract language.

The works of the artists that make up this exhibition are displayed according to two main concepts: light (space 2) and movement (space 3). Serge Lemoine has also decided to present a work by Peter Stämpfli, Ligne continue (Continuous Line) (space 3), a film created in 1974 that presents images of continuous or alternate lines –which come from road markings passing linearly–, in representation of a decidedly abstract career.

Space 1 houses a selection of works by eleven artists from the Foundation’s permanent collection revolving around figurative art.

From June 7 to September 15

Guided tours in Catalan
Sundays at 12h

Guided tours in Spanish
Sundays at 13h

Guided tours in English and French
Schedule concerted

Informació: Tel. 93 894 03 64 / m.sitges@diba.cat
Comissari: Serge Lemoine

Exhibition photo album

Opening photo album