Sculptors: Material Conversations - Monumental Sculpture Extension and Half Sphere by Jesús Rafel Soto

Curated by Javier Martín

The exhibition is spread into both rooms of the gallery, with one of the rooms including the monumental installation Extension and Half Sphere (1991) by Jesús Rafael Soto, presented at Ascaso Gallery Miami for the first time.

This installation dissolves the physicality of sculpture into shifting bands of color, using abstraction, with hints of figuration, to suggest our experience of sensory perception with a series of thin, closely spaced rods, creating a white-and-yellow semi-spherical form.

Jesús Rafael Soto (1923 - 2005) was a visionary Venezuelan artist whose groundbreaking work in kinetic art transformed the way we perceive movement, space, and viewer interaction. Born in Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela, Soto received his formal training at the School of Fine Arts in Caracas before relocating to Paris in 1950, where he would live for the remainder of his life.

In 1955, Soto became a key figure in the birth of kinetic art when he participated in the iconic Le Mouvement exhibition at Galerie Denise René in Paris, a seminal event that introduced the world to the movement’s principles. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Soto’s innovative approach to sculpture evolved through the use of industrial and synthetic materials such as nylon, perspex, steel, and industrial paint, creating dynamic, ever-changing pieces that demanded an active, participatory relationship with the viewer, he transformed gallery spaces into immersive, kinetic environments. These installations blurred the lines between solid and void, questioning traditional notions of perception, and inviting the viewer to engage directly with the artwork, altering their experience with each movement.