Felice Varini Adorns the MaMo atop Le Corbusier’s La Cité Radieuse with Site-Specific Geometric Forms

Swiss artist Felice Varini, who works out of Paris, has used bold geometric forms of yellow and red to decorate the Marseille Modulor (MaMo), a contemporary art space created by French designer Ora-Ïto that sits on the rooftop of Le Corbusier’s landmark Cité Radieuse in Marseilles, France. Varini used his signature “perspective-localized” approach, meaning he chooses specific vantage points from which he wanted his pieces to be viewed, in fragmented shapes spaced out from another, to create “Open Air.” To achieve this effect, he utilizes project-stencil techniques. On the roof of the modernist concrete housing complex, which was originally completed in 1947, the artist completed three separate pieces, two of which span the length of the exterior terrace, and one for the interior. The work will be on display until Oct. 2.

According to a Wall Street Journal article on the opening of the space, it was Le Corbusier’s original vision for the roof to host avant-garde performances and art shows. Ora-Ïto purchased the coastal site in 2010 and, with the help of France’s national restoration team, funded a three-year restoration project with the building’s co-owners to reinstate the modernist demigod’s true intention of the space.

Artists who have previously exhibited in the MaMo space include multidisciplinary French artist Xavier Veilhan (Architectones, 2013), French conceptual artist Daniel Buren (DEFINED, FINI, INFINITE, 2014), and American artist Dan Graham (Observatory/Playground, 2015).