Kimball Art Center presents “Between the Lines”

PARK CITY, Utah — “Between the Lines” runs until Jan. 3, 2027, at Kimball Art Center with a presentation on “How to Look at Contemporary Art” offered free of charge to the public on Nov. 11 at 6 p.m.

In this exhibit the artists interpreted abstraction as a way to deep dive into their ancestry, their own experiences and those of others.

The audience is encouraged to explore the artworks from near and far, to look at a piece for three full minutes while noticing new things about the art and even change an installation by moving iron spheres by hand. In a piece called “2i000.17” by Magdalena Fernández, iron spheres are connected with black elastic cords so moving one sphere changes the entire feel of the installation.

Several artists use simple abstract shapes used by their ancestors in their works. Terran Last Gun creates art using ledger paper, which became a popular paper to use when animal hides became harder to find. The shapes he uses are his link to his Piikani heritage, where shapes were used to paint lodges as abstractions of the three parts of the world – the land, a guiding presence such as water or animals, and the sky. The Piikani live in Montana and are one of the four Blackfoot nations.

Eamon Ore-Giron mixes shapes and patterns from different artistic traditions to create a painting with a beat, drawing on his experience as a DJ. He draws from Inca, Latin American, and European traditions as a cultural exchange, not a conquest. Another artist, Porfirio Gutiérrez creates his colors from natural materials drawn from his heritage from Oaxaca, Mexico.

The materials used in this exhibition couldn’t be more varied. Mylar tape spreads across a large section of wall, shimmering like glass or water, yet looking hard as steel when seen from another angle. Tires transform into abstract shapes in Chakaia Booker’s pieces. Visitors are invited to create their own versions with black paper strips.

Utah-based artist Mitsu Salmon presents a large multi-faceted art installation drawing on her Japanese American heritage. This is the kind of display that can take much more than three minutes to decipher all the elements of this abstraction.

“Between the Lines” is open to the public free of charge every day except for Mondays from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., until 6 p.m. on weekdays. On Dec. 5 Kimball Art Center offers a workshop on fearless abstract painting by Samantha da Silva for $295. No prior painting experience is required but do preregister.