“The beauty of Modern West is that as we connect with and exhibit artists, our artists inspire and introduce us to other artists and the possibilities of creativity and collaboration are endless. As artists connect with each other, a greater community is strengthened.” - Shalee Cooper, Director of MW
Modern West is excited to present an exhibition of new works by Andrew Alba, Fidalis Buehler, Jiyoun Lee-Lodge, Aïsha Lehmann, Mitch Mantle, Wren Ross, and Matthew Sketch in the group exhibition YOU MAY FIND YOURSELF. The exhibition will be on view May 20 through July 9, 2022.
Diane Stewart founded Modern West with a vision to create a space that transcended gallery walls, inviting community creativity and collaboration. Facilitating and supporting collaborative engagement is a core mission of Modern West, cultivating dialogue between established, emerging, and mid-career artists. Our programming is directly informed by our artists’ evolving work and their commitment to collaborate not only with each other, but also with our community.
YOU MAY FIND YOURSELF has been in the works since the fall of 2019. After Fidalis Buehler introduced Modern West’s Director Shalee Cooper to Mitch Mantle’s work, Cooper curatedthe group exhibition MYTH featuring works by Buehler, Mantle, and Wren Ross. The works from MYTH complimented each other so well that the show opened up discussion of future exhibitions by these artists.
Andrew Alba became an early artist in residence at Modern West in 2020 and he quickly connected with Buehler, Mantle, and Ross, sharing a similar thematic approach in his work. Matthew Sketch followed Alba’s residency in 2021 and after Buehler introduced MW to Aïsha Lehmann in the Spring of 2021, she became an artist in residence in the summer, followed by Jiyoun Lee-Lodge in the fall. Modern West’s residency program has not only given artists a space to develop work, but has cultivated community between our artists and led to representation and the artists conversing about their work with each other. While in residency, Alba, Lee-Lodge, Lehmann, and Sketch each developed work that spoke directly to identity in Utah, but with universal themes that extend far beyond.
Each of the artists included in YOU MAY FIND YOURSELF is rooted in Utah, but their identity-based work pushes boundaries and reflects outwards, from Utah to the West and beyond. We are excited to announce a collaboration with Emmanuel Art Gallery in Denver who will be featuring this exhibition online, and look forward to future collaborations that will travel these artists works throughout the region.
