‘Moving Pictures’ blends film and art at Kimball Art Center in Park City

Loop Through by Gary Hill. Photo: Kimball Art Center

PARK CITY, Utah—The Kimball Art Center is set to unveil Moving Pictures, a groundbreaking group exhibition featuring nine internationally acclaimed contemporary artists who reimagine film as both material and metaphor. The exhibition will run from Dec. 13, 2024, to Feb. 23, 2025, and coincides with Utah’s centennial celebration of film and the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. An opening reception is scheduled for Dec. 13 at 6 p.m.

Curated by Nancy Stoaks, the exhibition explores how film’s inherent qualities—its temporality, light, and narrative potential—are deconstructed and reimagined to create innovative modes of artistic expression.

“Moving Pictures invites viewers to rethink what film can be,” said Stoaks. “Each artist in the show reimagines the cinematic medium, transforming its familiar elements into powerful explorations of human experience, from the passage of time to the intangible nature of memory.”

The exhibition features works by Rosa Barba, Matthew Barney, Iñaki Bonillas, the David Brothers, Spencer Finch, Gary Hill, Sky Hopinka, Lisa Oppenheim, and Alex Prager. These artists explore themes of memory, time, and perception, transforming the cinematic experience into deeply resonant works of art.

Among the featured works is Spencer Finch’s West (Sunset in my motel room, Monument Valley, January 26, 2007, 5:36–6:06 pm), which uses nine video monitors to recreate the fading light of a Monument Valley sunset. Finch meticulously matched colors from stills of John Ford’s 1956 Western The Searchers, creating a piece that bridges film and lived experience.

Another highlight is Rosa Barba’s Poised Compression, which integrates 35mm film, steel, glass, motors, and aluminum to form an endlessly looping “cinematic painting.” The piece invites viewers to rethink the boundaries of film, as Barba continuously collapses and straightens the medium into mesmerizing patterns.

About the Kimball Art Center
Founded in 1976 by Bill Kimball, the Kimball Art Center is a nonprofit dedicated to providing world-class art exhibitions and dynamic educational opportunities. Through its programs, the center fosters reflection, creativity, and community dialogue, enriching the lives of Park City residents and visitors alike.