Completing the Illusion: Venezuelan Op Art

These artists were integral to that larger international genre, each studying or working in Paris at some point. And yet, viewed together, a distinct national identity emerges. Since 1863, Venezuela's coat of arms has borne the motto "Dios y Federación" — "God and Federation." Shared responsibility and participation lie at the core of the country's values, and that inclination runs through each artist's work, even as their approaches and scales vary. Where Cruz-Diez employs optical artifice through color, often on an intimate scale, Soto uses wire and suspension to create works large enough to walk through. Salazar creates movement from light and shadow, while Barrios constructs the illusion of shape shifting. All four, however, depend on the viewer's participation to achieve their ultimate goal of shifting perception.