Sacabo’s work, “Woman Looking at the Moon,” is one of many works that uses her unique style called a wet-collodion process. Courtesy of Tara Bennett
In celebration of the works of artist and Texas native Josephine Sacabo, the Hammond Regional Arts Center will be hosting an exhibition of Sacabo’s work during the summer.
“Josephine Sacabo: Salutations” will have its opening reception on May 11 from 5-8 p.m. at HRAC, and the exhibition will last until June 1.
Executive Director of HRAC Maureen Joyce shared how she was introduced to Sacabo’s work several years ago.
Joyce said, “I actually fell in love with her work about 25 years ago when I saw it at A Gallery for Fine Photography in New Orleans, and when I met the outgoing executive director, she mentioned to me that she had reached out to the New Orleans Museum of Art about having a visiting exhibition of Josephine Sacabo’s work.”
Comparing Sacabo’s work to most other photographers’ works, Joyce stated that Sacabo’s works cause audiences to question the reality of the image in her photos.
“She has us question if it’s there at all,” said Joyce. “Is it real? Is it a dream? Is it surreal? In the process, they become these kinds of ethereal, dreamlike constructed images that are much like a poem. They are a few, carefully-chosen words, carefully-chosen creations that make us stop and think more deeply in the moment.”
Sacabo described the process of creating her works, which start from a traditional or digital picture.
“I add a couple of different layers to it,” said Sacabo. “I print that out on transparent film. Then, I take that transparency. It looks like a big slide. Basically, I contact print that under the ultraviolet light onto a pre-coated metal plate, which are called photopolymer plates. Then, I rinse the plate in water and basically scrub it, and the image gets engraved into the plate.”
The Hammond Art Guild will be having an exhibition right before Sacabo’s. Anyone who meets the criteria is eligible to display his or her own works. Joyce explained that both types of exhibitions are necessary at HRAC and how Sacabo’s display differs from a communal display.
“If you choose singular artists who have dedicated their life’s work to a particular genre or a particular skill, craft, art and has explored a medium to its fullest, it’s when you get to see an individual artist expressing his or her ideas to its fullest,” said Joyce. “When you have that moment, it’s where you get into that kind of poetry we were talking about earlier.”
All of Sacabo’s works are being loaned from the New Orleans Museum of Art, and Sacabo’s books will be sold during the event as well.
Joyce shared why HRAC hosts these events and displays.
“We really try to expose as much as we can in the largest variety so that we are speaking more of an entire community,” said Joyce.
