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Actualism - The Way It Is offers a bold rethinking of how we see the world. Artist and former gallery owner Lawrence B. Salander draws on a life shaped by art, loss, and time spent in prison to explore a powerful idea: that much of our suffering comes from living in a world we have constructed, which he calls 'Reality,' rather than the world as it truly is, which he calls 'Actuality.'
In this provocative and personal work, Salander introduces Actualism, a way of seeing that strips away illusion and reconnects us with the truth beneath appearances. He challenges the modern forces that deepen our disconnection, including capitalism, technology, and distraction. He also champions direct experience, particularly through art and nature, as the path back to clarity and freedom.
About the author
Lawrence Salander was the owner of the prestigious Salander-O'Reilly Galleries in New York and was responsible for presenting over 600 museum-quality exhibitions to the public. He has been a working and exhibiting artist for over 50 years. He is the author of numerous articles and essays on the subject of art. He is the father of seven and lives in Dutchess County, New York. Austin Macauley also publishes his books Art As I See It (2019) and Life and Beyond (2022, co-authored with his son Jonah), and From Inside The Beast: 100 Prison Poems And Appropriations (2022).