The large and diverse continent of South America is home to contemporary artists working in many veins. A number of South American artists practice are influenced by Op-Art, short for Optical Art, which uses optical illusions to make energetic compositions that confound the senses. These artists, including Carlos Cruz-Diaz and Alberto González Vivo, use bright colors and geometric lines to add dynamism to their compositions. They deliberately toy with the perception of the viewer, inspiring delight when the trick is revealed. These artists follow in the footsteps of the Neo-Concrete artists, a group of Brazilian artists in the mid-twentieth century who wanted to add emotion to otherwise oblique geometric, abstract artwork. The late Venezuelan artist Jesús Soto had his first artistic breakthrough with a series of geometric paintings, but is best known for his so-called Penetrables. These interactive sculptures comprise of thin plastic tubes dangling in a carefully composed arrangement. Viewers are encouraged to walk through the installation in order to properly experience it. By allowing this kind of interaction, Soto calls into question the preciousness with which art is often treated, and the divide between the work and the viewer. Soto’s work has been influential for both younger Op Artists and those making kinetic sculpture.

While the trend towards making completely abstract art remains strong, other South American artists make representational artwork. Colombian-born Fernando Botero makes the subjects of his work his signature rotund figures with round faces and small features. In paintings, drawings, and sculptures, these figures occupy scenarios that comment on art history and contemporary culture. Brazilian artist Vik Muniz toys with the history of representation through his large scale photographs of canonical works from art history recreated in surprising materials like garbage, powdered pigment, and hardware store paint swatches. Humor plays a large role in both artists’ work. Other contemporary South American artists include Carolina Fernandez, Ana Belén Cantoni, Gabriel Antolínez, and Santiago Taccetti.