NEW YORK, NY.- The Garment District Alliance unveiled the latest in its ongoing series of public art installations, titled Endangered Species. Created by Italian artist Umberto Squarcia Jr., the exhibit presents a sequence of original sculptures that portray zoomorphic creatures in dramatic conditions.

Located in a street-level window on 215 West 38th Street, the free exhibit is available to the public through August 26th and will feature new sculptures to this series every two weeks. Squarcia’s installation is part of the Garment District Space for Public Art program, which showcases artists in unusual locations throughout the year and has produced more than 175 installations, exhibits and performances.

“Endangered Species is a fascinating installation that allows viewers to think deeply of the tragic realities the environment and its inhabitants face,” said Barbara Blair, president of the Garment District Alliance. “Umberto Squarcia Jr. is a tremendously talented artist who brings Italy’s cultural landscape to New York City, and we are delighted to showcase his original sculptures through the Garment District Space for Public Art program.”

Crafted with drift wood, old steel, stone and other construction site pieces, Endangered Species symbolizes the risks that the environment and its inhabitants are presently facing, including imprisonment, starvation, poverty, disease, violence and extinction. The materials and elements represent an interwoven dialogue between art and nature, time and space, and life and death.

In his paintings, sculptures and installations, Squarcia draws inspiration from the combination of architecture, design and art between Italy’s cultural landscape and New York’s vibrant avant-garde. His pieces are often a reinterpretation and re-visitation of art movements from classical to contemporary times.

Originally from Parma, Italy, Squarcia completed his classical studies in Parma and graduated from the University of Architecture of Rome, Italy. He moved to New York in 1998 and worked at M/G New York Architects, specializing in interior design at the Parsons Design School. In 2005 Squarcia established his own design company, practicing a wide variety of architectural services, including historical restoration and conservation, building alterations, industrial design, fashion and jewelry design, photography, and guided tours to the architecture and art of Italy. He also formed the Columbi Experience, an internship program for foreign students.

The Garment District is home to thousands of people working in the "creative economy,” including fine and performing artists, designers, architects, photographers and more than a hundred theaters, galleries, performance spaces and studios.