Kikuo Saito Solo Exhibition + Alice Mizrachi Outdoor Mural

Verplanck, NY (March 2025)- KinoSaito presents 2 new solo exhibitions by Kikuo Saito and Reuven Israel, an immersive sound installation by Bruce Odland and Soli Pierce, an outdoor mural by Alice Mizrachi, and a free opening reception on Saturday, March 8th, from 4-6 pm. The viewing and reception take place at 115 7th Street in Verplanck, NY. To reserve a free ticket for the Spring 2025 Opening Reception, RSVP at https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/2025-spring-opening-reception. The exhibitions, installation, and mural will be on display from March 8 to May 18, 2025.

Kikuo Saito’s new exhibition, The Wrong Side of the Brush, is located in the Larkin LoGerfo Gallery.

“The Wrong Side of the Brush brings together six paintings, five of them made between 1977 and 1978, and a single one — the blue one, Blue Ladder — made in 1987. The medium is acrylic on canvas kept raw, without gesso, a technique favored by Saito that puts his work into direct conversation with that of Helen Frankenthaler, who also often preferred to paint onto — to paint atop — an unprepared ground. These raw canvas patches or pools enframed by playful color became a hallmark of Saito’s acrylic style of the period, but this intimate grouping of canvases is unified by a more subtle procedure, namely the use of the brush’s handle, “the wrong side of the brush,” to drag lines — squiggly lines, slashing lines — through the background color. The result suggests the fundamentally abstract nature of craquelure, a network of rips, tears, and seams abraded and coming loose — lines along which light might enter the painting and illuminate it from within.”

• Joshua Cohen

Kikuo Saito was born in Tokyo in 1939 and moved to New York in 1966, where he developed his own painting style influenced by Color Field painting. He became deeply involved in theater at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club and worked with directors like Robert Wilson and Jerome Robbins. In the art world, he worked in the studios of renowned painters such as Larry Poons, Kenneth Noland, and Helen Frankenthaler. Balancing theater and painting for many years, he eventually focused solely on his studio practice, creating sophisticated compositions with bold colors and cryptic motifs. As a mentor and teacher, he inspired many artists, writers, architects, and designers who continue their creative work today.

Alice Mizrachi’s Unifying Threads of Our Evolution was painted in KinoSaito’s outdoor installation space.

“In this work, Mizrachi seeks to illustrate the threads of connection that run through our lives—threads of love, resilience, struggle, and triumph. Each element within the mural symbolizes a different aspect of our shared evolution, highlighting the ways in which we learn from one another, grow together, and adapt to the ever-changing landscape of our world.

As we navigate the complexities of our modern existence, it is vital to recognize that our evolution is not a solitary journey but a shared experience. This mural invites viewers to reflect on their own connections and the impact of their relationships on personal and communal growth. Through the act of coming together—celebrating our shared stories and honoring our individual paths—we can forge a more inclusive, compassionate future.”

• Alice Mizrachi

Alice Mizrachi is a New York-based interdisciplinary artist and educator working in the mediums of painting, murals, and installation. Her work explores the interconnectedness of individuals and community through the dual lens of compassion and empathy. Through figurative work that reinforces both personal and community-oriented identity, Alice aims to inspire creative expression and a sense of shared humanity through art.

As a painter, Alice maintains both a studio practice and an extensive body of work as a muralist. Her works have been featured in exhibitions at the Museum of the City of New York, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the United Nations and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Washington DC. She has been commissioned as a mural artist for projects in Amsterdam, Berlin, Tel Aviv, and across the United States by organizations including: Wall Therapy (Rochester, NY); La Mama and Fourth Arts Block (NYC); Baldwin Civic Association (Baldwin, NY); and, Chashama (Harlem, NY), among others.

KinoSaito
KinoSaito is a nonprofit art center founded in 2018 and dedicated to the creation of abstract art. We are committed to nurturing art experimentation across all mediums and perpetuating the legacy of our founding muse and Japanese-American artist, Kikuo Saito (1939-2016). The center opened in 2021 upon renovation of its St. Patrick’s Catholic School located in Verplanck, NY. Since opening our doors, we have served an intergenerational audience of 3,500+ annually.

For more details or to RSVP, please visit:. For any inquiries, contact KinoSaito’s Gallery Director, Megan Meadowlark, at megan@kinosaito.org or 914-293-7468.
XXX

KinoSaito Programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.