Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art

About this Work

Trained at the School of Plastic Arts in Caracas, Soto moved to Paris in 1950, where he absorbed the ideas of constructivism and optical art. Considered one of the innovators of the kinetic art movement, he began adding moveable parts to his works in 1954. Combining painted or printed geometric designs with hanging rods, Soto mixed actual movement with optical illusion. Printed on acrylic sheets and constructed in 3-D, these multiples challenge the classifications of painting, printmaking, and sculpture.

Conceived as a suite of five sculptures and a portfolio of acrylic plates printed on both sides, their logical progression reflects Soto’s interest in serial music.Their wavelike visual effects, likewise, recall sound vibrations, while the piece’s title suggests to the energetic movements of the popular Latin American handball-like game called Jai alai.