Lara Saget, a sculptor known for her profound connection to natural materials and spirituality, has unveiled her inaugural solo exhibition in New York City, titled "and the world came apart." This collection of works, hosted at Trotter&Sholer, serves as a testament to Saget's unique artistic vision, deeply influenced by her recent master's degree in divinity. The exhibition masterfully explores themes of rebirth, ancient wisdom, and the transformative power of alchemy, offering a contemplative journey into the interplay between destruction and creation.
Artist Lara Saget Unveils Solo Exhibition: A Spiritual Exploration of Nature's Resilience
In Brooklyn, New York, amidst a landscape dotted with headstone shops and granite warehouses, artist Lara Saget's studio stands as a testament to her fascination with raw materials. The 37-year-old sculptor, who recently earned a master's in divinity from the Center for Religion and Advanced Spiritual Studies and became an ordained minister, has transformed her studio into a veritable quarry, showcasing piles of rare Tuckahoe marble—stone used in the iconic Washington Square Arch. This profound appreciation for nature's inherent sanctity forms the cornerstone of her artistic practice.
Saget's debut New York City solo exhibition, "and the world came apart," curated by Sarah Darro, officially commenced on November 7 at Trotter&Sholer. Her work delves into the concept that the divine can be found within granite, and that sacredness emerges from the destruction that paves the way for new life. These spiritual insights are visibly woven into her sculptures, which center on regeneration, ancient symbolism, and alchemical processes.
The exhibition is bifurcated into two distinct components. One section features compelling wall installations crafted from copper alloy, granite, and black marble. These pieces evoke the aesthetics of primordial cave art, depicting geological phenomena such as volcanic maps and tectonic plates. The other component comprises delicate glass sculptures, highlighting the resilience of ancient trees. Among these are representations of the Judean date palm, a species scientifically resurrected from nearly 2,000-year-old seeds after being thought extinct, and the Joshua Tree, a species currently facing threats from climate change.
Saget's artistic journey is also intertwined with her personal heritage. As the daughter of the revered actor Bob Saget, she inherited not only a recognizable surname but also a foundational understanding of artistic dedication. She describes her father as a "true artist" who embodied constant creation, much like jazz improvisation, an environment that normalized continuous artistic endeavor for her. Almost five years after his passing, a documentary celebrating his life is currently in production.
In 2019, Saget embarked on her first trip to India, spending a transformative month at Art Ichol, an artist residency specializing in bronze and stone work. She has since returned almost annually to engage in the 6,000-year-old "lost-wax casting" technique. This meticulous process involves carving into stone, creating a wax impression of its surface, building a mold around the wax and stone, and then using a brick and mud structure to steam out the wax, leaving a cavity for molten metal. Every stage of this ancient method is executed by hand.
Spirituality has been a lifelong pursuit for Saget, but it was in the past decade, through the Path of Soul Transcendence, that she deepened her commitment. She explains, "Honestly, my whole life, I was looking for something. The experience of the path is really surrendering to the spirit that I am, that everybody is, and the reality that everything is one." This philosophy underpins her artistic approach, particularly her exploration of material interactions. "I just had the sense that when heat breaks everything down, it's all ultimately one," Saget states. "The center of the earth, or how volcanoes are also obsidian rock, and how all these materials are basically everything. It seems like it's totally separate, but when it's heated, it reveals it's not."
Saget’s wall-mounted creations offer an aerial perspective, utilizing a tiled, modular design reminiscent of archaeological excavation sites. Her piece, The Last One Million Years (2026), exemplifies this, presenting a meticulously charted map of volcanoes and tectonic plates derived from NASA celestial data. The elevated rock formations within these maps are a result of heat-retaining granite interacting with metal, creating a spontaneous fusion. This technique allows Saget to conduct a form of spiritual archaeology, tapping into the profound depths of the earth using its most ancient and fundamental elements.
Complementing the historical narrative of her wall works, Saget’s tree sculptures represent a meditation on the present and future. Her journey into creating glass tree sculptures began in 2016, with a focus on trees that have defied the odds. During the pandemic, she undertook a cross-country drive to the Yucca Valley Material Lab in Joshua Tree for a residency. A rare snowfall during her stay prompted her to consider the Joshua tree's survival through the Ice Age. Similarly, Rebirth of an Ancient Palm is a re-creation of the Judean date palm, resurrected from extinction. Both sculptures feature textured, kiln-cast glass, employing the lost-wax method. For the exhibition, two children provide an audio narration, each embodying a tree and encouraging viewers to protect them. Saget reflects, "Nobody could imagine that these trees could survive all of this. It's really about the underlying life force that continues against all cognitive understanding."
This perspective has also reshaped her understanding of grief. She observes, "Working through what seemed to be finite, and allowing what seemed finite to almost reveal itself as infinite has helped a lot. Because I realized that nothing is the end of anything. It's always in the process of becoming."
The exhibition "and the world came apart" will remain open until December 19 at Trotter&Sholer, located at 90 Elizabeth Street in New York City.
As a viewer, one can't help but be struck by the profound introspection and spiritual depth embedded in Lara Saget's work. Her ability to transform ancient stones and resilient trees into powerful symbols of regeneration and enduring life force is truly inspiring. The exhibition encourages us to look beyond the superficial, to recognize the sacred in the mundane, and to ponder the interconnectedness of all existence. It serves as a timely reminder that even in seemingly finite moments, there is an infinite process of becoming, urging us to embrace change, cherish nature, and understand our place within the grand tapestry of life.
