METAVASARELY
2023
Custom software (color, silent), computer
1:1

In conjunction with the exhibition Coded: Art Enters the Computer Age, 1952–1982, LACMA's Art + Technology Lab presents a two-part digital work by Casey Reas: a simulation of and homage to Victor Vasarely's unrealized proposal for LACMA's Art and Technology Program (1967–1971). Envisioned during a period in which Vasarely was interested in cybernetics and permutation, the proposal defined a machine composed of lights arranged in a grid that would generate millions of different visual patterns related to his paintings. Commissioned by LACMA, Reas's response is presented in two parts. METAVASARELY, the first component, explores and simulates Vasarely's proposed machine.

The colors and forms in METAVASARELY are inspired by multiple sources, including Victor Vasarely's Kalota (1963) and Folk-Lor (1973) artworks, as well as a selection from the artist's Planetary Folklore series, which covers a range of techniques including color/contrast/vibration, color gradients, and a wide color spectra within a single work.

View the full project