작품 상세

Valdis Celms (1943), In the Waves of Daugava III, 2019. Op art. Cardboard, oil, tempera, glue. 20,5 x 35,5 cm (border 26,5 x 42 cm). Signed on verso. Valdis Celms has been one of the leading design and kinetic arts theorists and practitioners in Latvia since the 1970s. Participant of Riga International Biennial of Contemporary Art (RIBOCA2, 2020). His interest for visual illusion through optical prism was born during his studying years at the Art Academy of Latvia (between 1965 and 1970). His thesis work Cabinet of Vision (1970) was created as a unique experiment in the interpretation and analysis of kinetic perception. Later he worked on other kinetic projects - Rotary Cylinders (1972), Daugava (1974), Positron (1976) and kinetic sculpture Lighthouse (1978, based on the works of Gustavs Klucis in collaboration with Anda  Argale and Maƒris Argalis). These works are now considered as cornerstones of Latvian kinetic art. Since the 1970s the artist has been doing research on the traditional Latvian ornamental signs, focusing not only on their symbolic meaning, but also their structure. His interest lies primarily in the signs as structural formations and geometrical representations of knowledge acquired through centuries. Both areas of interest, op art, kinetic art and ornamental sign research, occasionally overlap. In 1974 he exhibited the work Transformation of Latvian Traditional Signs I, a large-scale fragment of Lielvƒardes josta (The Belt of Lielvaƒrde), portrayed with tonal contrasts to achieve a sense of space. The op art effects and warped planes, accompanied by the sense of gravity, emphasised the cosmic dimension of the traditional signs. The artist is interested in the works of Victor Vasarely, especially in his ideas on visual kinetics (plastique cin‚tique) described in his Yellow Manifest. Similar to Vasarely, Valdis Celms is also interested in the cosmic infinity effect. ( Victor Vasarely. Vasarely. New York: Alpine Fine Arts Collection, 1978, p.25)