Saul Alegria at COOPER COLE, Toronto

COOPER COLE is pleased to present a solo exhibition of paintings and ceramic sculptures by Richmond, California–based artist Saul Alegria.

This exhibition is organized in partnership with NIAD (Nurturing Independence through Artistic Development) in Richmond, CA. NIAD has been a cornerstone of the Bay Area arts community since 1982, supporting artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities across painting, ceramics, printmaking, textiles, and mixed media.

Working from images found in books at NIAD, Alegria paints animals with striking immediacy. Monarch butterflies, weevils, sea dragons, buffalo, birds, reptiles, and insects emerge through luminous, unexpected colour combinations that are both intuitive and assured. Asked how he arrives at his distinctive palettes, Alegria replied, “I choose the variety of color I choose.” The answer reflects a practice guided by instinct rather than convention, where colour becomes a way of seeing as much as describing.

His ceramic sculptures continue this dialogue between observation and imagination. Familiar animals coexist with invented creatures, each approached with the same curiosity and care. He notes, “This ceramic bunny… is kind of really nice. I do love that green lizard. This (yellow) creature looks new, it’s very intriguing. I just put a star on top… it’s made up in my head.”

Across both painting and ceramics, Alegria reimagines the natural world through instinctive colour, playful invention, and an unmistakably personal visual language. Rooted in curiosity and guided by intuition, his works invites you to encounter animals not as fixed subjects, but as endlessly expressive forms.

Saul Alegria (b. 1987) is a painter and sculptor based in the Bay Area. His works reimagine animals and insects in striking, electric shades of colour. In some paintings, Alegria offers tender, carefully-studied portraits of his animal subjects. In other images he transforms inhabitants of the natural world into flattened, potent symbols. His sculptures are powerful composite forms that combine familiar creatures with icons from mythic quests in video games.

Alegria’s work was prominently featured in the landmark exhibition, “Into The Brightness” at the Oakland Museum of California, and in 2023, the OMCA acquired one of Alegria’s paintings for their permanent collection. He has participated in group exhibitions at Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek, CA; Sage Studio, Austin, TX; Narrative, Oakland, CA; Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA; and Petaluma Arts Center, Petaluma, CA. Saul Alegria has worked at NIAD Art Center in Richmond, CA since 2007.