A passerby would find the piece 'Mästo' by Lily Shafer & Andrea Kopecka to be somewhat incongruous with its environment—dishes covered in chewed gum sitting in the square in front of Abravanel Hall.
BTS -> SLC Collaborative Street Art Exhibition 06.09
In what must surely be a first, Utah joined artistic forces with Bratislava, Slovakia to create a pop-up art show that crosses traditional boundaries of display, time, language and culture. Pieces could be found throughout Downtown SLC, though they were slightly difficult to spot even with map in hand, creating a scavenger-hunt type atmosphere for art seekers.
The idea is that while SLC was hosting its own show, a simultaneous show was occurring in Bratislava—linking two seemingly unaffiliated entities through the power of aesthetic expression.
Tenacious attendees were rewarded with viewings of guerrilla urban installations in a variety of mediums. Within one stop, attendees were greeted with a piece by Nathan Krishnan (SLC) and Rita Koszorus (Slovakia), featuring alaptop repeating a multifaceted and emotional stream of consciousness over visuals and music. Another by Nancy Rivera (SLC) and Diana Garafova (Bratislava) made the viewer a participant in creating a human sundial. All the pieces elicited long stares and many questions—which is exactly what good art should do.
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Fully Yet Not Entire by Nathan Krishnan and Rita Koszorus. Krishnan provided the lyrics and music, while Koszorus provided the video. Photo: @clancycoop
Nathan Krishnan stands in front of his piece, Fully Yet Not Entire, which he created in concert with Slovakian artist Rita Koszorus. Photo: @clancycoop
Pieces were scattered around Salt Lake City and could be found by following guidance offered by maps picked up at UMOCA (Utah Museum of Contemporary Art). Here, attendees view Fully Yet Not Entire by Nathan Krishnan and Rita Koszorus. Photo: @clancycoop
Mästo by Lily Shafer and Andrea Kopecka is a play on the Slovak words for flesh and city. Chewing gum was spread across a dish set on a table in front of Abravenel Hall, forming a connection between Salt Lake City and Slovakia and the “small acts of vandalism people perform when they leave their chewed gum on sidewalk, benches or other public spaces.” Photo: @clancycoop
A passerby would find the piece ‘Mästo’ by Lily Shafer & Andrea Kopecka to be somewhat incongruous with its environment—dishes covered in chewed gum sitting in the square in front of Abravanel Hall.
Participatory art installation East to West by Nancy Rivera and Diana Garafova was a sundial laid out on the ground that allowed the viewer to become the gnomon of the sundial. Photo: @clancycoop
Nathan Krishnan, one of the show’s artists, tries out East to West by Nancy Rivera and Diana Garafova, a sundial built into the ground. Photo: @clancycoop
Many people might have walked past Poštová Schránka, unaware of what it is. It was drawn in Slovakia by Peter Kotvan and assembled in Utah by Molly Morin. It is a 1:1 scale model. Photo: @clancycoop
Poštová Schránka by Peter Kotvan and Molly Morin was a 1:1 scale model of an actual Slovakian postbox. Photo: @clancycoop
Detail of ‘Poštová Schránka by Peter Kotvan and Molly Morin. Photo: @clancycoop
Identity by Nataly Muñoz Kohler and Ján Hrčka was a representation of the Slovakian flag. Photo: @clancycoop
An attendee looks at Identity by Nataly Muñoz Kohler and Ján Hrčka, which hung outside of UMOCA and Abravanel Hall. Photo: @clancycoop
