Out of this Earth by Hank Saxe will be on exhibit until May 29 at David Anthony Fine Art, Taos. The solo exhibition features Saxe’s sculptural “earth forms,” which the gallery states allows viewers to connect with his work on a more intimate scale than his larger architectural sculptures, such as his minarets at the entrance to UNM’s Taos campus, a large collaborative project with Cynthia Patterson.
In addition to his collaboration with Patterson, Saxe has brought his technical experience to projects with sculptors like Jim Wagner and Lynda Benglis. The gallery states the pieces on exhibit are expressions of landscapes that inspire Saxe, who uses found clay and his knowledge of geology to create forms similar to how the Earth shapes itself.
The gallery quotes Taos artist Jack Smith, regarding Saxe:
“If I had to choose one word for Hank’s recent sculpture I would have to say ‘laconic’ comes first to mind. They are concise works which share a subtext of sophisticated humor from the cartoon modern era of the 50′s, which informed the evolution of modern style, yet they plumb the depth of sacred landscape from the Mogollon Rim to the Rio Grande rift in the great Southwest. It is an exquisite marriage of the lineage of ancient natural forms, informed and torqued into modernity by way of a quite brilliant, clever mind and his command of alchemy.”
Above image: Ceramic sculpture by Hank Saxe at David Anthony Fine Art, Taos. Photograph courtesy of the gallery.
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Works by Hank Saxe at David Anthony Fine Art, Taos. Photographs courtesy of the gallery.
Works by Hank Saxe at David Anthony Fine Art, Taos. Photographs courtesy of the gallery.
Works by Hank Saxe at David Anthony Fine Art, Taos. Photographs courtesy of the gallery.
Works by Hank Saxe at David Anthony Fine Art, Taos. Photographs courtesy of the gallery.
Works by Hank Saxe at David Anthony Fine Art, Taos. Photographs courtesy of the gallery.
Saxe’s work is archetypal — each sculpture a presence — in some cases, as in his small ceramic pyramids not pictured here, even a gem — and you want to touch. Photographs can’t begin to convey the presence they carry “in person.” They are otherworldly even as they are primal, of the earth.
I appreciate any use of clay that truly expresses its unique characteristics. While Saxe’s work accomplishes this I feel that it lacks the monumentality and elegance of the landscapes it attempts to emulate.
The real art seen on this page was the description of the work. It sure made the pieces sound more interesting then they are.