Puerto Rico - June 4, 2025 –  Sabroso! is pleased to present Un Pequeño Mar, the second solo exhibition by Alejandro Saki Sacarello and the gallery’s second show at its flagship space, located at 802 Calle Corchado, Santurce, Puerto Rico. The exhibition will run from June 12 to July 18, 2025.

Throughout the history of art, many artists have found inspiration in the simplicity of daily life, transforming the ordinary into something extraordinary. In Un Pequeño Mar, Alejandro Saki Sacarello turns the bathroom—a common and familiar space—into a perfect stage to explore the beauty of simplicity. Inspired by the intimate ritual of bathing his child, the artist engages in another ritual: one of artistic observation. From this perspective, his work invites the viewer to discover themselves in the everyday.

For Sacarello, “the infinite lies in the simple.” Over the years, his work has achieved an aesthetic purity that distills the image to its essentials. The objects depicted in his paintings do not merely illustrate a scene; they act as witnesses and protagonists of what transpires. In these works, the artist delves into the idea that “objects evolve with us, accompany us throughout our lives, and become imbued with meaning over time.” Though the paintings lack human subjects, their narrative is deeply intertwined with humanity. It is the objects that carry life and memories within, transcending their materiality to evoke the senses.

Unlike his previous, highly colorful paintings, in these pieces, color emerges almost exclusively from the objects and details present, while the rest of the composition remains predominantly white. This restriction of color was a spontaneous choice during the creation of one piece, but it informed the intentionality behind the entire body of work. 

Inspired by great masters like Bonnard and Matisse, Sacarello creates mental still lifes—scenes drawn from memory and translated into paintings that capture moments suspended in time. This approach carries a photographic quality, aiming to encapsulate a specific instant, whether real or imagined.

These works are spaces where the ordinary meets fiction, transcending reality and offering glimpses that suggest more than they reveal. In the artist’s own words, “the mundane is the soul of my work.” Scenarios like the act of bathing, small and insignificant to some, are elevated in his practice. Inanimate objects, charged with nostalgia and meaning, become emotional portals that connect the viewer to their own daily experiences.

Beyond the paintings, Sacarello has transformed the exhibition space into a massive bathroom where the works of Un Pequeño Mar inhabit the very space that gave them life. This gesture not only recontextualizes the pieces but also challenges traditional methods of exhibiting art by breaking with the neutrality of the gallery and creating an intimate atmosphere. The concept of "paintings within paintings" adds narrative layers where elements like the tiled wall and the paintings themselves engage in dialogue. Sacarello explains:

“In this case, I thought it would be a good idea to create a bathroom wall in the gallery to add a sculptural element to the exhibition. I’ve been exploring the idea of paintings within paintings in the most literal sense, where I layer one piece on top of another. The painting La Bañera de Leo (Un Pequeño Mar) is placed on a tiled white wall, and within the painting, there is a small still life with a vase superimposed on the canvas, creating a nearly three-layered piece.”

The use of installation is not new to Sacarello’s practice. In one of his past exhibitions, the artist collected objects from the street, arranged them in the patio of his childhood home as a creative playground, and then painted the resulting scenes. Continuing in this vein, he has once again transformed the exhibition space into a unique environment. By merging the pictorial with the three-dimensional, Sacarello invites the viewer to reconsider the connections between art and space.