Venezuelan Artist Works with “Color as a Physical Presence”

Called “one of Latin America’s Kinetic Art masters,” Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz Diez, age 85, works with the eye’s perception of color. His current exhibit at the Americas Society in New York is his first major solo show in the U.S.

The installation “Chromosaturation” features 3 white-walled rooms saturated with colored lights. The colors appear to change and blend as the viewer walks through the rooms and participates in a “direct chromatic experience.”

“Cruz Diez is considered a pioneer in the use of color as a participatory tool as well as a visionary who pushed the boundaries of art towards everyday life,” according to the website of the Americas Society.

The exhibit runs until January 2009.

Click here to read an artist profile, find out the location of the gallery, and get links to videos and a panel discussion about the work of Cruz Diez.

Check out this article from the Los Angeles Times with great photos!

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Venezuela: Second-Largest Supplier of Home Runs

Most people know that Venezuela is the fourth-largest supplier of oil to the U.S. But you may not be aware that it has also become the second-largest supplier of baseball talent.

In a year when foreign-born players in Major League Baseball declined overall, Venezuela was the only country to send a more heavy hitters than ever to the U.S.

An L.A. Times blog fills us in: Venezuelan participants in the MLB rose from 50 players to 52 players in 2008. The Detroit Tigers have claimed the, er, lion’s share of the Venezuelan sluggers: pitcher Armando Galarraga, infielders Miguel Cabrera and Carlos Guillén, and star outfielder Magglio Ordóñez.

Keep an eye on those Tigers, and don’t forget Venezuela’s Johan Santana of the New York Mets, currently the highest-paid pitcher in the major leagues.

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