For more than 50 years, Orazio Salati has activated the imagination of gallery-goers and students alike with abstract oil paintings that capture the beauty of nature, landscapes, and the human form. For the first time ever, Salati is taking a step back and presenting a timeline of his work in Uncovering the Surface, a retrospective exhibition that maps out seven distinct periods in his artistic career over multiple decades.
Located on the first floor in Sears Harkness Gallery.
“Just a casual look will entice the viewer to look beyond the imagery to the process and beauty of the works. As all works are well designed with an inherent abstract artistry, we can appreciate the internal workings of Orazio as he manipulates the images and mediums. His approach to art is both personal and historically founded with unique and profound narratives.”
About the Artist:
Orazio Salati immigrated to the United States from Arnara, Italy in 1955 at the age of seven. Unable to speak the language of his new home, he found in art a powerful means of communication and self-expression. Encouraged and supported by his parents from the very beginning, Salati began a lifelong journey in the arts.
He graduated from the State University College at Buffalo in 1972 and furthered his studies at the University of Siena and the Duccio di Buoninsegna Istituto d’Arte in Siena, Italy. His professional path began with fiber arts, clay, and precious metals, but he was always drawn back to painting—the true language of his heart.
Salati’s first major body of work was inspired by the massacre of an Indigenous tribe, a series exploring the energy and forces present in the “passing” of spirits. Selections from these paintings were later published in the book A Tribe Returned. This body of work launched an evolving inquiry into memory, self-awareness, and what he calls “Uncovering the Surface” of personal and collective experience.
In 1987, Salati had the extraordinary opportunity to observe the restoration of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, where he conversed with the restorers and was even granted the once-in-a-lifetime privilege of touching the ceiling. He observed the restoration of Masaccio’s frescoes at the Brancacci Chapel in Florence. He has also exhibited at the Firenze Biennale Internazionale Dell’Arte Contemporanea.
A devoted educator for over forty years, Salati served as Chair of the Union-Endicott High School Art Department, taught painting at Keystone College, was an adjunct professor at Broome Community College, and worked as a juror for the International Baccalaureate Studio in Art. He also regularly participated in National Portfolio Reviews throughout his teaching career.
Today, Orazio Salati owns and operates the Orazio Salati Studio & Gallery in downtown Binghamton, where he continues to paint, exhibit, and welcome dialogue about art, life, and legacy. His work is represented in private and public collections across the United States and abroad, including installations at United Health Services, Security Mutual Life Insurance, and NBT Bank. He has been honored with the Union-Endicott High School Make a Difference Award, a Star on the Wall at Fame at the Broome County Forum, and recipient of the Heart of the Arts Award from the Broome County Arts Council.
