Alexander Calder moved to Paris in 1926 where he created “Cirque Calder,” a complex assemblage of wire, leather, cloth and found materials that capture the whimsy of the circus. Shortly before moving to Paris, Calder illustrated images for the National Police Gazette which featured a two-week drawing assignment with the Barnum & Bailey Circus. There is no doubt that this experience influenced “Cirque Calder.”
Calder went on to perform “Cirque Calder,” predating performance art by forty years while inspiring generations of artists to utilize found objects in their work.
Whimsical dreamscapes are composed of imaginative juxtapositions featuring: antiqued artifacts, sculpted figures, painted hardware and discarded glassware. Often personal, these reclaimed artifacts make up the delicate worlds of fine artist Souther Salazar. Souther is a mindful archivist who understands the creative potency of saving obscure objects for future application or until that perfect moment exposes itself during his creative processes—drawing, painting and sculpture.
Souther Salazar builds up his canvases, layers them with textured ephemera—pages of books, newspapers, comics—providing thoughtful nods to his past and childhood whimsy. Deeply inspired by Calder’s Cirque, Souther is constantly uncovering worlds that promote a unified balance between humankind, animals and nature.
Recently completed, Souther’s latest assemblage reveals a new community of characters built around “Higgins,” the central character. Currently untitled, I am honored to feature Souther Salazar’s work in the permanent collection and feature him in the growing archive of important artists.
And in the spirit of Calder, Souther Salazar describes his work, “It’s everything at once. There are references to real cities, real places I have been and know. And then there are points where it diverges into places in my mind. I try to build worlds that allow multiple points of view, where I can remember and imagine at the same time.”
Check out more of Souther Salazar’s work at the Jonathan LeVine Gallery in NY, literary musings and join in at the Museum of Narrative Arts.