Julio Le Parc

Julio Le Parc, Untitled, 1965

Optical vibration, movement, and light are all key components of Julio Le Parc’s kinetic work. As a member of the Paris-based Groupe de Recherche d’Art Visuel (Group for Research in the Visual Arts), or GRAV (1960–68), Le Parc shared in the group’s efforts to engage the human eye and to denounce the elitism inherent in traditional art. This untitled object consists of a wooden crate split in half and lined on the inside with reflective metal. The divided crate is fitted with interchangeable cards printed with geometric drawings, the patterns of which reflect on the mirrored sides. The disorienting optical illusion produced by this work and others like it was meant to liberate viewers’ perceptions. The work is activated through both physiological perception—optical vibrations generated by the relationship between the human eye and the distortion of the abstract patterns against the reflective metal backing—and direct interaction, as visitors could swap out and reorient the dividing screens.  

Image credit

Julio Le Parc (Argentine, b. 1928), Untitled, 1965. Metal mirrors and 4 double-sided printed paper cards in painted wood box, 53/100, 14 3/4 x 23 5/8 x 14 7/16 in. (37.5 x 60 x 36.7 cm). Published by Edition MAT / Galerie Der Spiegel, Cologne.  Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis, University purchase with funds from Aurelia Gerhard Schlapp, by exchange, 2013. © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris.