There is a Victor Vasarely exhibition currently running at Salon 2012, Trg Leona Štuklja 2, in Maribor, Slovenia.  The exhibition runs until Saturday 3rd March and is part of the ‘Cultural Embassies’ project.  More details here.

“Victor Vasarely (1906-1997), the pioneer of op-art, successfully merged art with science and technology. His aesthetic vision is based on the belief that technology is radically changing our world, especially when we wish to perceive the world in an intuitive manner, with the proper intellectual depth and immense energy. His visions have proven correct, for there is an immense interest in his work and in the optical art, brought forth by the development of new technologies. The once hand crafted geometrical abstraction is blooming in digital mode.”

‘Beyond the Shadow‘ – currently on at the A.P.T gallery in Deptford, London, UK – features several of the works of  London based geometric abstract artist Stephen Jaques.  Works on display include:  Rewired (2011 – shown below), Interior Force (2011), Rivazza (2011), Shine On (2011) and Break Out (2011).

Rewired - Stephen Jaques - 2011

“Stephen Jaques works are mysterious super structures, oscillating between refined flatness and illusory forms floating in deep space.  The confidence with colour operates on our subliminal viewpoint.  The paintings although very present have an absence, a detachment.  This detachment is one you want to get to know.”

The exhbition runs from 16th February through to 4th March 2012, but please note it is only open to the public Thursdays to Sundays 12 – 5pm.  Other artists on display include:  David J Batchelor, John Crossley, Tricia Gillman and Laurence Noga.

There’s a new Op Art (and related) exhibition at The Cardenas Gallery, IMAS (International Museum of Art and Science), Texas, USA entitled ‘Out of Style: Geometric Abstraction from the 1970s‘.  The works come from the museums own collection and features works from major Op Artists like Victor Vasarely alongside artists such as Gene Davis who worked primarily with coloured stripes to great effect.  If you’re in the area it looks like it’s well worth a visit.

The exhibition runs until June 24, 2012.

Riu Kui - Victor Vasarely

Phantom Tattoo - Gene Davis

There’s a major new Jesus Rafael Soto exhibition at New York University’s Grey Art Gallery, New York, 10003 (USA).

Despite Soto’s stated resistance to Op Art – in fact he refused to participate in the famous ‘Responsive Eye’ exhibition which brought widespread fame to the major Op Artists of the time – he should really be considered as one of the major artists of the movement.  I was lucky enough to speak to Bridget Riley at a recent talk in Cambridge (UK) who had nothing but praise for Soto saying that he was one of the artists at the time who she really considered to be working along the same lines as she was.

La cocotte, Jesus Rafael Soto, 1956. Paint on wood, 23 5/8 x 33 x 23 5/8 in.

From the Grey Art Gallery site: “Comprised of some 50 works, Soto: Paris and Beyond, 1950–1970 is the first largescale exhibition dedicated to this major Venezuelan artist to be held at a New York institution in more than 35 years. Featuring works produced after Jesús Rafael Soto’s move to Paris, the show highlights his visionary investigations into notions of movement, displacement, and instability. Drawing inspiration from optics, color theory, and phenomenology, Soto (1923–2005) developed a radically new relationship between the artwork and the viewer. The exhibition also explores reciprocal influences between Soto and other members of the Parisian avant-garde—such as Yves Klein and Jean Tinguely. Soto’s groundbreaking achievements in the fields of perception and interactive art established his reputation as both one of the foremost proponents of kinetic art and one of the most influential 20th-century Latin American artists”

Espiral con rojo (Spiral with Red), Jesus Rafael Soto, 1955. Paint on Plexiglas and wood

The exhibiton runs until March 31 2012.

I’m a little late on this one as there are only 8 days left as of this post, but if you’re near Scottsdale, please go in and have a look at Carrie Marill’s work at the Lisa Sette Gallery.  The exhibition is called ‘Hi n Lo’.

The title is a reference to a thought that struck Lisa after a visit to the Museum of Modern art (NY) and a subsequent visit to the American Folk Art Museum, namely: “Why is an Op Art piece considered ‘high’ art and an intricate quilt considered ‘low’?”

“The theme centers around this idea of blending the two worlds. What if Joseph Albers was a quilter or Gee’s Bend quilts turned into Abstract Expressionist paintings?” (Carrie Marill)

Red and White Mantra

Hey Bridget you wanna Mac?