SUMA presents Salt Lines: Exploring Climate, Environment, and the Saline Influx
Published: October 16, 2024 | Author: Kol Gibson | Read Time: 4 minutes
Opening on October 19, 2024, Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA) will present Salt Lines: Exploring Climate, Environment, and the Saline Influx, an innovative exhibition that takes an in-depth look at salt’s role in both our local and global ecosystems, particularly in the context of the changing climate. The exhibition will be on view through March 8, 2025, with an opening reception on Friday, October 18 from 6-9:00 p.m. The event will offer a unique blend of art, literature, and community engagement for all ages.
Kicking off at 6:00 p.m. on October 18, SUMA will host public readings by acclaimed local poets Natalie Young and Danielle Dubrasky, alongside featured artist Alexandra Fuller. These readings, presented in partnership with the Southern Utah Book Festival, will explore the themes of environment, climate, and the human relationship to a changing landscape–topics intricately tied to the exhibition itself. From 7-9:00 p.m., visitors can engage with the artwork at the public reception, enjoy refreshments, and participate in the interactive aspects of the exhibition.
Salt Lines’ central theme is the dual role of salt as both a connector of human culture and a marker of environmental crisis. The transformation of salt from a life-sustaining mineral to a harbinger of environmental collapse is captured in the works of the exhibition’s featured artists.
“At the heart of Salt Lines is the idea of connection,” explained Dr. Rebecca Bloom, SUMA’s director of curatorial affairs. “The exhibition explores salt and how it binds us. It is in our bodies, it’s in our environment. It permeates our lives in more ways than we know.”
The exhibition's centerpiece includes two immersive installations by Hylozoic/Desires, the dynamic, London-based duo of multimedia artists Himali Singh Soin and David Soin Tappeser. Their work explores the past, present, and future of salt across time and space, and examines its implications for the planet’s survival. In Namak Nazar, a towering “pillar of salt” emanates an aural sculpture that blends myth, history, and science to illustrate the dual themes of climate crisis and the possibility of redemption through reflection. Their second installation, Piscean Premonition, imagines a future archaeological site marked by salt-glazed ceramic fish, as a symbol of mass extinction along the world’s saline shorelines.
“We are very lucky to have these international artists in our community,” said Bloom. “These are artists at the forefront of contemporary art today; their work is what you’d usually have to go to a metropolitan museum to see.”
Complementing these immersive works are photographic pieces by David Maisel, a noted aerial photographer, and Utah-based artist Alexandra Fuller. Their images focus on the Great Salt Lake, a critical site of environmental degradation in Utah. Fuller’s and Maisel’s works provide a visual anchor for the exhibition, highlighting the crisis facing this vital saltwater body, which threatens both local ecosystems and human habitation. While Maisel’s photographs show a zoomed-out view of the Great Salt Lake, Fuller’s works show a very human connection to the lake, even using salt from the lake itself to develop her silver print images. By situating this global issue within Utah’s own landscape, Salt Lines fosters a deeper understanding of how climate events are affecting nearby communities.
Salt Lines offers a unique opportunity for visitors to engage with pressing environmental issues through art, storytelling, and community collaboration. From the mythical echoes of Namak Nazar to the local reflections of Fuller and Maisel’s photographic works, the exhibition serves as a compelling exploration of how the past, present, and future of salt connect us all.
Be sure to attend the opening reception on October 18th from 6-9:00 p.m. for a memorable evening of art, poetry, and community conversation. For more information about the Southern Utah Museum of Art and its exhibitions, please visit www.suu.edu/suma.
Image Credit:
Hylozoic/Desires, Namak Nazar (2023), Desert X 2023. Photo by Lance Gerber.
About Southern Utah Museum of Art
Southern Utah Museum of Art, on the campus of Southern Utah University, features the artwork of regional artists known for their landscapes, faculty and student artists from the SUU Department of Filmmaking, Art, & Design, as well as emerging and distinguished artists from around the country and the world. Strengths of the nearly 2,000-object permanent collection include several works by famed Western artist Maynard Dixon, important regional women artists Eve Drewelowe and Edith Hamlin, and a comprehensive collection of work by Jimmie F. Jones that exemplifies his notable career in the region. Within SUMA's holdings is an especially robust collection of prints that includes well-known artists such as Marc Chagall, James McNeill Whistler, Kawase Hasui, Thomas Hart Benton, and Käthe Kollwitz, among others. A number of gifts and acquisitions have focused on photography, such as Brett Weston, Gary Edwards Adams, and a portfolio called DE | MARCATION: A Survey of Contemporary Photography in Utah. Named the best-designed museum in Utah by Architectural Digest, SUMA's building, designed by Brooks + Scarpa and inspired by the region's famed slot canyons, is an artwork in and of itself.Tags: Southern Utah Museum of Art Art and Design Community College of Performing and Visual Arts
Contact Information:
Emily Ronquillo
435-865-8765
emilyronquillo@suu.edu