In photos: Add a splash of colour to your social feed at Carlos Cruz-Diez’s exhibit in France Pavilion

A space lit in the three primary colours – red, green and blue – is open to visitors of the France Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. Encapsulating a magical experience, the three rooms simply exist for the audience to enjoy the colours. The temporary exhibition, ‘Chromosaturation, 1965/2013’, which is the original work of the late Carlos Cruz-Diez, will open today (December 13) and close on January 14, 2022. Your entry into the chambers is free of cost.

Originally conceptualized by Cruz-Diez in 1965, Chromosaturation immerses visitors in a complete monochromatic environment, stimulating their perceptions of colour. The Franco-Venezuelan artist studied colours for five decades, and the exhibition is a synthesis of his work. Where do the colours come from? The chambers are illuminated by regular white LED lights overhead that have special hue filters on them.

Carlos Cruz Jr (pictured), Chairman of Cruz-Diez Foundation’s Advisory Council and General Director of Atelier Cruz-Diez, said he was proud to be carrying forward his father’s manifesto of wanting people to “really experience colour”.

Carlos Cruz added: “My father always said that colour exists alone, even though it is always associated with a shape such as a green tree or a red apple. But this exhibition demonstrates that it is autonomous. There is no storytelling. You make up your own experience – an experience of colour. It’s very charismatic.”

The latest representation of his work is a collaborative effort between the France Pavilion, La Patinoire Royale - Galerie Valérie Bach, Atelier Cruz-Diez Paris and the Cruz Diez Foundation. Lead by Cruz Jr, the Cruz-Diez’ principles are firmly in place in order to preserve and advance the legacy of this pioneering visual artist.

Cruz Jr’s daughter Fabiana Cruz, a visual musician, is also a custodian of the space. “You’ll first see vivid blue and after a while this fades to white. Some people even close their eyes and see different colours when they open them again. Many also conduct their own experiments: they wear white or see how their phone interacts. My grandfather wanted it to be both a very personal and very positive experience of enjoying colour without an attachment to either form or space.”

Visitors can find the temporary exhibition towards the end of their pavilion journey on the ground floor.