OUR WEEKLY PROCRASTINATION

Juan Melé Irregular Frame No. 2 &
Gego (Gertrude Goldschmidt) Sphere, via Royal Academy.

Lygia Pape Untitled (from the series Weaving) &

Hélio Oiticica Metascheme 1958, via Royal Academy.

This week we had the opportunity of visiting the new exhibition of the Royal Academy: Radical Geometry that features the works of South-American plastic artists like Joaquín Torres-García, Juan Melé, Hélio Oiticia and the Venezuelans Alejandro Otero, Gego, Jesús Soto, and of course, our wonderful maestro Carlos Cruz-Diez. The Royal Academy introduces the exhibition like this: "From radical innovations in the use of colour and form to new materials like neon and interactive, kinetic sculpture, this exhibition will reveal some of the most original art of the last 100 years."

Photo: The Procrastinator (some) Times.

The event that opened the exhibition was a wonderful talk with Carlos Cruz-Diez and Dr. Joanne Harwood, where he shared with us the story of his his early works, when he thought that as a painter he had to be like a journalist and tell the story of everything that crossed his eye. Then he talked about his long relationship with the instant phenomenon that is color for him, that perpetual present: "color is a situation, not a certainty . . . is always in the making, is not a finished fact."

He also talked about the academy; the Goethe's book that blew his mind; his early days in Paris, the generational movement that in the 50s and 60s explored art as communication; his family and how life and art cannot be separated, "there is no schedule to be an artist". And finally he closed the night by saying that he wished to be 40 years old again, to start inventing new stuff.

Not only as an artist, but also as a human being, Carlos Cruz-Diez is an incredible inspiration. I feel deeply proud of his genius and wisdom. I'm also very happy to have had the opportunity of meeting him. He and his artwork always manage to make me feel at home.

The Royal Academy staff were recording all the event, so it's possible that the podcast or the video will appear on their website soon. Meanwhile, and until the 28th of September, you can go and visit the wonderful Radical Geometry exhibition, that even though is not super extensive but more concise, it's really good. According to The Telegraph (E.T.P. 2')  Radical Geometry "is a quietly marvellous show. And to all those who once suffered excruciatingly through maths classes, trust me: geometry has never been so riveting."