During the 1950s and 1960s, many artists started to bring ideas from mathematics, scientific research and colour theory into their work, and some began using computers to create images.
These artists saw the viewer not as passive spectator but as active participant, engaging with art in real time and space. Their works often trigger complex visual sensations, activated by the viewer’s perception of shape, colour and pattern. Sometimes this effect is intensified by the inclusion of kinetic parts that create real or perceived movement.
Op Art – short for ‘optical art’ – emerged during this period. Artists associated with this movement combined simple lines, geometric shapes, and eye-popping colour to create optical effects and illusions. Around the same time, a wave of Kinetic artists used motors, moving elements, sources of energy and audience interaction to challenge art as a static form. These two movements were historically related, with many artists working in both areas, but should also be seen as independent approaches which resulted in a large variety of artworks, from rigid geometries and regular rhythms to more organic forms and chaotic constructions – and sometimes bringing seemingly opposed ideas together.
The Dynamic Eye revisits Op and Kinetic Art from a global perspective. It weaves together artists closely associated with these movements as well as their predecessors, and connects them to parallel movements and practices which were often shown together at the time due to their shared themes and formal concerns. This exhibition touches upon important groups of artists who chose to work together, as well as exhibitions that were foundational to the development of Op and Kinetic Art.
Rather than following a strict chronology, this exhibition reframes Op and Kinetic Art as tendencies embraced by artists throughout different times, geographies and cultural contexts. What they share is a deep interest in stimulating the viewer’s eye and perception, while taking art into new dimensions.