ONIRIS AT THE ARMORY SHOW 2023 IN NEW YORK: THREE LEADING ARTISTS IN GEOMETRIC ABSTRACTION AT THE JAVITS CENTER

From September 7 to 10, 2023, Oniris Gallery is taking part in a new edition of The Armory Show, one of the leading international contemporary art fairs, held at the Javits Center in the heart of Manhattan, New York. For the 2023 edition, Oniris is presenting a selection of works by Norman Dilworth, Vera Molnar and François Morellet in the main “Galleries” section. These three major artists have developed distinctive artistic practices exploring the relationships between geometry, compositional systems, chance and artistic experimentation.

The Armory Show 2023: A Major Event on the New York Contemporary Art Scene

Founded in 1994, The Armory Show has established itself as a major event on the international art calendar. Every year, the fair brings together leading international galleries in New York and contributes to the visibility and vitality of the contemporary art scene. For its 2023 edition, The Armory Show welcomes more than 225 galleries from over 35 countries and presents the work of more than 800 artists. For the third consecutive year, the fair is held at the Javits Center, located in the heart of Manhattan. Oniris is participating in this edition within the “Galleries” section, dedicated to leading international galleries and a selection of outstanding works from the 20th and 21st centuries, across all artistic media. This participation provides Oniris with another opportunity to introduce its artists and its commitment to contemporary abstraction to an international audience.

Three Major Artists of Geometric Abstraction Presented by Oniris

For The Armory Show 2023, Oniris is showcasing three artists whose artistic practices explore the possibilities of geometry, structure, repetition and chance: Norman Dilworth, Vera Molnar and François Morellet.

Norman Dilworth (1930–2023): Geometry Between Rigour and Chance

British artist Norman Dilworth developed an abstract body of work deeply rooted in geometric exploration. The square is one of the fundamental forms of his artistic vocabulary. Starting from this elementary shape, the artist creates endless variations, organised according to precise systems and rigorously defined structures. His work is based on an ongoing investigation into order, numerical principles and experimentation. Forms are organised, repeated and transformed, giving rise to compositions that explore the infinite possibilities of geometry. Yet this rigour never excludes the unexpected. Norman Dilworth also gives an important role to randomness and chance, introducing a sense of openness and freedom into his compositional systems. His work thus reveals a fruitful tension between rational construction and spontaneity, between mathematical order and artistic experimentation.

Vera Molnar (1924–2023): A Pioneer of Digital Art and Geometric Abstraction

Hungarian-born artist Vera Molnar is considered one of the pioneers of computer-based artistic creation. From the 1950s onwards, she explored geometric abstraction and developed an extensive body of research into form, its transformation and displacement. Her work investigates the possibilities offered by simple visual elements: the line, the square, black and white surfaces, shades of grey, as well as blue and red. Through transformation protocols closely resembling scientific experimentation, Vera Molnar introduces subtle variations into initially simple geometric forms. These successive modifications give rise to unexpected compositions, in which the rigour of the programme allows room for unpredictability and imagination. Her artistic approach occupies an essential place in the history of digital and algorithmic art. Her works have notably been exhibited in leading international institutions such as MoMA in New York, LACMA in Los Angeles and the Centre Pompidou in Paris. With Vera Molnar, geometric abstraction becomes a genuine field of experimentation, where technology, logic and artistic sensibility come together.

François Morellet (1926–2016): Systematic Principles in the Service of Artistic Freedom

An iconic figure of geometric abstraction and a precursor of Minimalism, François Morellet profoundly influenced contemporary art through his distinctive approach to composition. From an early stage in his career, he developed an artistic language based on geometric shapes, lines, grids and construction systems.

Each work generally results from the application of a predefined protocol, the rules of which are sometimes stated directly in its title. In this way, the artist establishes a creative system that determines the possible compositions. However, François Morellet never sought to confine his work within an exclusively rational framework. Chance also plays a role in his creative processes: it represents one of several possible outcomes arising from the application of the system. This combination of rules and unpredictability lies at the heart of his artistic approach. It goes beyond simple geometric repetition to produce unexpected, sometimes disconcerting compositions, always imbued with considerable artistic freedom. His work has been the subject of numerous international exhibitions. In New York, the Dia Art Foundation notably devoted an exhibition to him in 2017, presented in Chelsea and Beacon.

Geometry, Chance and Experimentation: An Artistic Dialogue at the Heart of Oniris's Presentation

Through the works of Norman Dilworth, Vera Molnar and François Morellet, Oniris offers a thoughtful and rigorous perspective on geometric abstraction. For these three artists, geometry is never merely an aesthetic or decorative pursuit. It is a genuine tool for thinking and experimentation.

• Geometry as a visual language: the square, the line and elementary shapes become the foundations of an artistic vocabulary.
• The system as a creative process: rules, numbers and protocols provide structure to the composition.
• Chance as a driving force for discovery: unpredictability enters the creative process and renews the possibilities of form.
• Experimentation as an artistic approach: each work explores new relationships between structure, space, colour and movement.

These approaches demonstrate the vitality of geometric abstraction and its ability to continually renew itself across generations.

Practical Information

Dates and opening hours:

• • Thursday, September 7, 2023: Preview, by invitation only.
  • Friday, September 8, 2023: 11 am – 7 pm.
  • Saturday, September 9, 2023: 11 am – 7 pm.
  • Sunday, September 10, 2023: 11 am – 6 pm.

Venue:
The Armory Show 2023
Javits Center – Main Entrance, Crystal Palace
429 11th Avenue
New York, NY 10001 – USA.

Section: Galleries

Oniris: A Gallery Committed to Promoting Contemporary Abstraction

Through its participation in The Armory Show, Oniris continues its commitment to contemporary artistic creation and to the international promotion of the artists it represents.

The presentation of Norman Dilworth, Vera Molnar and François Morellet reflects the gallery's longstanding artistic interest in the different expressions of geometric abstraction.

Oniris's participation in this major international art fair in New York is supported by the Centre national des arts plastiques (CNAP), through its funding programme supporting galleries participating in art fairs abroad.