DUBAI – ‘Chromosaturation, 1965/2013’ by Carlos Cruz-Diez lit up the France Pavilion today (12 December) as part of its arts and culture initiatives, under the theme “Light, Enlightenment.”
Carlos Cruz, Chairman of CDF’s Advisory Council and General Director of Atelier Cruz-Diez, said he is proud to be carrying forward his father’s manifesto of wanting people to “really experience colour.”
Carlos Cruz added: “My father always said that colour exists alone, even though it is always associated with a shape such as a green tree or a red apple. But this exhibition demonstrates that it is autonomous, while giving visitors the opportunity to really immerse themselves in colour.”
It’s a simple concept, with just three interconnected chambers and three primary colours – red, blue and green – lighting up the spaces via white LED lights which have special filters to submerge visitors in a total monochromatic environment, stimulating their perceptions of colour. The effect is surreal and subliminal, and it affects everyone in different ways.
Considered a synthesis of Carlos Crus senior’s lifelong study of colour, and originally conceptualised in 1965, for more than five decades, Cruz-Diez studied the properties and perception of colour, engaging the response of the human eye and highlighting colour’s participatory nature.
The latest representation of his work, which can be enjoyed at Expo 2020 until 14 January, 2022 is a collaborative effort between the France Pavilion, La Patinoire Royale – Galerie Valérie Bach, Atelier Cruz-Diez Paris, and the Cruz Diez Foundation. Lead by Carlos Cruz Jr, the Cruz-Diez’ principles are firmly in place in order to preserve and advance the legacy of this pioneering Franco-Venezuelan artist.
A real family affair, Cruz Jr’s daughter Fabiana Cruz, a visual musician, is also a custodian of the space, which she describes as meditative and a place to spend time in.
Fabiana Cruz said: “People you don’t just come and go. They take in a colour to see and experience the subtleties of the interaction of colours. You’ll first see vivid blue and after a while this fades to white. Some people even close their eyes and see different colours when they open them again. Many also conduct their own experiments: they wear white or see how their phone interacts. My grandfather wanted it to be both a very personal and very positive experience of enjoying colour without an attachment to either form or space.”
Affirming that Chromosaturation is neither a story nor an installation, Carlos Cruz explained: “There is no storytelling. You make up your own experience – an experience of colour. It’s very charismatic.”
‘Chromosaturation, 1965/2013’ runs until 14 January 2022 at the France Pavilion, located in the Mobility District.