On September 30, 2022, Museum of Art Pudong (MAP) opens its new exhibition The Dynamic Eye: Op and Kinetic Art from the Tate Collection on the 2nd floor. The exhibition brings together nearly 120 artworks, spanning various media like painting, relief, screenprint, sculpture, installation and video, revisiting Op and Kinetic Art from a global perspective. The exhibition is co-organized by MAP and Tate, and produced by Lujiazui Development (Group) Co., Ltd.

Op Art – short for optical art – emerged during the 1950s and 1960s. Many artists started to bring ideas from mathematics, scientific research and colour theory into their work. Simple lines, geometric shapes, and eye-popping colour were combined to create optical effects and illusions. Kinetic Art was closely associated with Op Art, encompassing art utilising motors, moving elements and sources of energy to challenge art as a static form.

The exhibition includes 11 sections and the concourse. It weaves together artists closely associated with these movements, such as Jesús Rafael Soto, Victor Vasarely, Alexander Calder, as well as their predecessors and contemporary practitioners. The exhibition touches upon important groups of artists who chose to work together, such as GRAV, Zero, Signals, New Tendencies, as well as exhibitions that were foundational to the development of Op and Kinetic Art, like Le mouvement (1955, Paris), and The Responsive Eye (1965, New York). Organized in a non-linear, non-chronological fashion, the 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.

Curated by Clara Kim, The Daskalopoulos Senior Curator, International Art with Matthew Watts, Curatorial Assistant, Collection Exhibitions. The project is managed by Katie Chester, Project Manager, Collection Exhibitions.