DISPATCH - NOV 7, 2012 (8:45 p.m.)
SOUTHAMPTON, NY
Blink and you'll miss it. Don Saco's solo show "Poetry in Steel" is counting down its final days at the Southampton Cultural Center. The exhibition closes on Tuesday, Nov 13. The gallery is open Monday through Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. or by appointment. This is Saco's third solo show at the Southampton Cultural Center. His career spans nearly 50 years.
"Poetry in Steel" presents recent abstract sculptures in welded steel by Saco. Made within the last two years, the works represent a new direction for the sculptor, according to the gallery. In these artworks, music and graceful moves by dancers have inspired a fragility not typically seen in Saco's sculptures.
Saco was inspired by photographs of dancers taken by Andrea Mohin. Mohin's dance photography is regularly published by The New York Times.
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The gallery explained Saco's new work this way:
"The fragility and gracefulness of movement in ballet captured in her [Mohin] exquisite photographs defy description, and while a link with a medium such as forged steel may seem paradoxical, they are captured in these welded sculptures graphically and with poetic sensitivity."
Yet another side of Saco's work manifests itself in his "Totems." The two-dimensional works are smaller in scale. Presented in a series, the artwork takes a variety of geometrical shapes. Like his larger sculptures, the "Totems" are also made from steel. However, they depart from his monochromatic pallet to include a riot of color, adding a strong element of whimsy.
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Saco began his art career in Spain and Italy, where he learned to work with wax for bronze casting. He created figurative works for years before gradually moving towards abstraction. Through abstraction, Saco found freedom. His works became lyrical, soaring and light; seemingly in defiance of the solid steel he works with.
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BASIC FACTS: "Poetry in Steel" - A solo show by Don Saco remains on view through Nov 13 at the Levitas Center for the Arts at the Southampton Cultural Center. The gallery is located at 25 Pond Lane, Southampton, NY 11968. southamptonculturalcenter.org
Don Saco's solo shows include two shows at the Sculpture Center in New York City, three shows at Galleria l’88 in Rome, Italy and three shows at the Mickelson Gallery in Washington, DC. A 44-year retrospective was held in 2007 at the Levitas Center for the Arts in Southampton, NY.
Selected group exhibitions include the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, the National Academy of Design and the National Sculpture Society in New York City and at the Asia Bijutsu Kyokai in Tokyo, Japan.
Saco is based in Water Mill, NY. His work can be viewed at www.donsaco.com.
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