Hexa 5, from Official Arts Portfolio of the XXIVth Olympiad, Seoul, Korea 1988

Curator: My first impression is of playfulness mixed with something unsettling. It has that optical illusion feel that's both inviting and disorienting. Editor: And right you are to sense that push and pull. Let's look at Victor Vasarely's "Hexa 5," created in 1988. It's an acrylic painting that forms part of the "Official Arts Portfolio of the XXIVth Olympiad, Seoul, Korea." Curator: Olympics, hmm? I'm struck by the way these colorful, tessellated cubes interlock. The chromatic arrangements are rather rigid. I feel like this work mirrors the constructed nature of these hyper-scheduled and intensely regulated events, although Vasarely produced numerous tessellated geometric patterns well before this. Editor: It absolutely taps into something universal through geometry, wouldn’t you agree? These repeating cubes—a form so foundational—become almost like a cultural symbol of building blocks, growth. Even nationhood, perhaps, since Vasarely did this for a worldwide event in South Korea? Curator: That makes me consider the inherent tension. Vasarely, associated with Op Art and Kinetic Art, uses a very calculated approach. However, if we explore the late 1980s political tensions present in South Korea, where strict autocratic rule was being challenged by pro-democracy activists, do you think Vasarely wanted to also suggest imprisonment? These tessellated cubes might actually function as representations of imprisonment—a kind of personal enclosure. The fact that they're colorful perhaps attempts to veil and distract from this imprisonment and the violence imposed onto ordinary people. Editor: That's a compelling read, using that black background as an emptiness outside these "prisons". The sharp edges contrast with those playful colors too, generating internal friction. Looking at these cube structures, their incomplete forms... they almost represent gaps or openings through cultural structures which are never totally complete. These structures almost become destabilized from the potential negative space created by their forms. Curator: The potential that's literally and visually carved out... Editor: Ultimately, whether it be interpreted through lenses of global sportsmanship, sociopolitical commentary, or psychological impact, “Hexa 5” continues to incite and disturb. Curator: Vasarely presents an incredibly rich area for exploring geometry, societal tension, and emotional space.