Francisco Salazar

Francisco Salazar (1937–2019) was a Venezuelan artist born in Quiriquire, Venezuela, who died in Paris. He began his artistic path after enrolling in architecture at the Central University of Venezuela, where an interest in spatial relationships and pure form led him toward Kinetic Art in the late 1960s. Salazar focused on optical phenomena, using corrugated cardboard as his primary material to build three-dimensional reticular patterns. By painting and cutting relief into the cardboard, he created interplays of light and shadow that produced a sense of kinetic movement for the viewer. His leaning toward monochrome arose from a need to precisely modulate light, allowing him to distinguish and unite the concepts of empty and full space within a single composition.