Vasarely,one of the leading figures of Op Art, championed the democratization of art, advocating for its accessibility and reproducibility. In an age of globalization, he envisioned a universal language conveyed through visual media, what he called “Planetary Folklore.”

Central to this approach was his “alphabet plastique,” a system of geometric shapes that could be endlessly varied, each one serving as a distinct unit of meaning. Developed in the 1960s, this method transforms these basic units into complex, cohesive compositions that resonate with kinetic energy and that speak in a universal language.

In this 1981 paper collage, these principles are vividly at work. Vasarely described his “form-color” language as “composed of two constants: the kernel ‘form’ and its complement that surrounds it: the square ‘background’. Apart from its ‘biform’ aspect, the Unity necessarily possesses a ‘bicolor’ aspect which is harmonious or contrasting at the same time as positive-negative.” In Mekka, the arrangement of cutout circles and squares—each comprising a “bicolor” unit of his plastic alphabet—creates a luminous gradient that pulses with vitality, reinforcing Vasarely’s universalizing vision.

This work will be included in the upcoming Catalogue Raisonné currently being compiled by the Fondation Vasarely.