Souther Salazar : Space Cadets

I am so excited for Souther Salazar's upcoming solo show. If you are in NY, please go support this super-talented artist.
Here's the press release!

Jonathan Levine Gallery (NY) Presents:
Souther Salazar
Space Cadets
Project Room: Solo Exhibit

June 23rd - July 21st
Opening Reception:
Saturday, June 23rd, 5pm - 9pm



Jonathan LeVine Gallery is proud to announce Space Cadets, a solo exhibit of new works by Souther Salazar. This exhibition will be the artist’s first solo show at Jonathan LeVine Gallery and his largest exhibition to date. For Space Cadets, Souther Salazar presents an alternate universe, where nothing is realistic and yet everything is familiar. His exhibition includes large-scale mixed media works on panel, ink renderings on paper, and sculptures created using a variety of materials and found objects.

In his latest body of work, Souther Salazar explores the relationship between reality and the imagination, merging the two realms to create an adventurous new world. Tapping into his interior monologue, Salazar blends daydreaming with stream-of-consciousness techniques to create his characters and environments. For Salazar, what one perceives as a lack of focus, or being “spacey”, is conversely an acute sense of the time and space in which one exists.

In his artistic process, Salazar switches from working in modes of extreme control to inviting chance and flux. He juxtaposes rich details of recognizable things, such as weeds, antennas, and chimneys over tactile layers of collage, acrylic, and ink, celebrating spontaneity and the process of exploration with medium and subject matter. To further draw the viewer into his creations, Souther develops his stories beyond the two-dimensional plane into sculptural form. An installation of paintings in boxes and shelves with figures made of papier-mâché and fire-baked clay invites the viewer to use their imagination to discover hidden stories whose narratives multiply upon closer inspection.