Please join us Friday, May 3, at 6 pm for the opening of "WORKS of TRANSLATION", the premier solo show for contemporary Utah artist Megan Knobloch Geilman.
Five years in the making, this series of staged scenes uses art historical reference and symbolic objects to explore gospel doctrine, social issues, and historical narrative from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Each piece takes anywhere from four to six months from conceptualization to execution and an additional two months or more of post production. The process often involves a small team to assist in making the artist’s vision a reality.
From the show catalogue, scholar Rosalynde Welch writes: “Geilman’s method, intricate tableaux vivant rigorously staged, lit, and photographed, draws on several important Latter-day Saint aesthetic traditions. The images, formal still-life compositions of lavish costumes and props, reflect the rich Mormon history of didactic pageantry, itself a crucial mode of translation between 20th century Mormonism and wider American culture…[Geilman’s] world is crammed with objects, and each object is deep in conversation with its neighbor. An abundance of spiritual meaning is readily available to all who take the trouble to listen and learn the language of symbol. “Works of Translation” is a masterclass in interpretation.”
"Works of Translation" will exhibit through the end of May, and Friday's opening reception is free and open to the public and will include light refreshments.
