LOCALS ONLY GALLERY ROUND 2: Joshua Luther’s Meaning @ Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (SLC: JAN 6 - APRIL 21)

Utah Museum of Contemporary Art Announces

LOCALS ONLY GALLERY ROUND 2:

Joshua Luther’s Meaning, January 6 - April 21, 2012

First Friday opening on January 6, 8-10 PM, with DJ TiDY, food, and cash bar

Contact: Emily Brunt | emily.brunt@utahmoca.org | 801.328.4201 x 115

For Immediate Release:  December 27, 2011

SALT LAKE CITY, UT – Utah Museum of Contemporary Art is pleased to announce Joshua Luther as the next artist appearing in our Locals Only Gallery, from January 6 through April 21, 2012.  A Utah native, Luther will exhibit works from his series Meaning.  The public is invited to join UMOCA for a First Friday opening of Luther’s exhibition on January 6, 8 – 10 PM, with music by DJ TiDY, food, and a cash bar.

“My work addresses the construction of meaning through language and symbols. I explore the relationship between meaning and the symbols, or signifiers, that have been attached to that meaning.  In my work, I play off this arbitrary relationship,” says Luther regarding his exhibition.

“Luther’s work is smart, playful, and thought-provoking,” says Adam Price, Executive Director, Utah Museum of Contemporary Art.  “We are excited to be able to give visitors an opportunity to see work by a true Utah original.” 

Luther received a BFA at Utah State University and then an MFA from University of Nebraska-Lincoln before returning to Utah.  During the course of his graduate studies, Luther began to investigate the realms of epistemology and linguistics within his work.  Pieces consisted of random letters and numbers signifying the arbitrary nature of language.  Hidden imagery was used to illustrate the limitations of perception and the nihilistic situation of the human experience. Luther is currently working with digital media including the vast and ever evolving world of the Internet.  Through this relatively new technology many issues of art making can be reintroduced, such as the ready-made and objectivity.

The Locals Only Gallery is an initiative of UMOCA to promote local artists as they engage the contemporary art world, and to ensure that distinctive Utah voices are consistently heard within the museum. The Locals Only Gallery provides selected Utah artists with prominent exposure to UMOCA visitors, and through the museum’s increasing national ties, the possibility of greater exposure around the country.  UMOCA is now accepting applications for Locals Only Gallery Round 3, which will exhibit May 4 – August 18, 2012.  Submissions for Round 3 will close on March 2, 2012.  Proposals that are not selected will be kept on file for one year and considered for later exhibition in subsequent rounds.

Joshua Luther, Big Bang Genesis, 2010, vinyl on wall, courtesy of the artist. Download this image at www.utahmoca.org/press.

http://www.joshualuther.com/

Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (formerly Salt Lake Art Center) was recognized as Best Museum in the State of Utah for 2011.  Founded in 1931 and now located in the heart of Salt Lake City, the Art Center exhibits groundbreaking work by leading local and international artists. Recent exhibitions include Robert Fontenot’s The Place This Is, a conceptual exploration of the stories and histories of Utah and America through materials commonly associated with the domestic realm; Contemporary Masters: Artist-Designed Miniature Golf; Lawn Gnomes Eat Your Hearts Out, a community public sculpture initiative designed to move the very best in contemporary art outside the four walls of the gallery and into places where people work, live, and play; and Fallen Fruit of Utah, a state-wide collaboration with museums and individuals about the role of fruit in Utah’s history, led by artist collective Fallen Fruit.  UMOCA is currently exhibiting Kim Schoenstadt, winner of the 2011 Catherine Doctorow Prize for Contemporary Painting, through February 18, 2012; and Doublespeak, codes and entendres by contemporary women artists, through January 7, 2012.  Upcoming exhibitions include the 2012 Sundance Film Festival New Frontier, and also Play Me I’m Yours, inviting the people of Salt Lake to show off their piano skills on street corners all over downtown.  UMOCA rounds out its offerings with a lively mix of award-winning educational programs, film screenings, panel discussions, and events celebrating Salt Lake’s vibrant local art scene. UMOCA is located at 20 S. West Temple, just off the intersection with South Temple. Admission is free year-round. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Thursday: 11 am-6 pm; Friday: 11 am-9 pm; Saturday: 11 am-6 pm; closed Sunday and Monday. For more information call (801) 328-4201 or visit www.slartcenter.org.

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Emily Brunt

Director of Communications, Utah Museum of Contemporary Art
801.328.4201 x115  m: 801.232.7362 | emily.brunt@utahmoca.org | www.utahmoca.org

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