Sachs’ peculiar way of working with garments reveals a similar inverted gaze. Her costumes and props are not made for representation but rather for the exteriorization of internal landscapes. Crafted and impregnated by inner drives, they fold out the body rather than covering it. Still, to make inner worlds manifest themselves is not a solo endeavor; any ritual—from the cinematic experience to the religious one—requires the group’s suspension of disbelief and collective abandonment of the narratives and its set up. The effort to allow these bizarre, hand-crafted universes to manifest is here performed as a labor of love between Sachs and the muses populating her extended family. – Francesca Astesani*
On Saturday, January 27, the exhibition Sara Sachs: Public Skin opens to the public at Gallery Sade Los Angeles. On this occasion, the artist presents a series of photographs that originated in her book Blonde Lagoon, published in 2022. The work on display introduces surreal characters—printed on lacquered wood—that take the form of a static performance, imbuing the space with elan and resonance. The tour de force of Sachs is to bring a variety of feelings to the epidermis through her dedication to the medium and glowing imagination.
Sara Sachs is a Danish artist living and working in Los Angeles. Her work straddles the fringes of fashion, art and design, and have in recent years primarily materialized in video, performance and theatre. In 2009, Sachs co-founded the avant-garde fashion project Moonspoon Saloon with Danish artist Tal R, serving as artistic director until 2014. While producing biannual collections, Moonspoon Saloon staged exhibitions and performances internationally, including Victoria Miro Gallery, London; the Swedish National Gallery, Stockholm; the Museum of Everything (Official Venice Biennale Collateral Event); and, in Copenhagen, at the Kunsthal Charlottenborg and, most recently, a solo exhibition at Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art. Sachs has been involved in producing performances and shows with Wife, LACD, Ryan Heffington at MoCa, and the Wooster Group among others. Her work has been featured in publications such as Dazed, Vogue Italia, i-D, and in the recent monogram Blond Lagoon, published by DoPe Press.
SARA SACHS — PUBLIC SKIN
Opening, Saturday, January 27, from 7-11 pm
Gallery Sade
204 South Avenue 19, Los Angeles
The exhibition will be on view every Saturday and Sunday from 1pm–6 pm, and by private viewing appointments at all other times, until Sunday, February 18, 2024.
For inquiries or private appointments, contact:
To order Sara Sachs–Blond Lagoon, see:
https://dopepress.fr/product/sara-sachs-blond-lagoon/
*Francesca Astesani, “Oh, Love Vessel. I’m Lonely” excerpt in Blonde Lagoon (DoPe Press, 2022).
Images courtesy and © the artist, 2024.