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 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 3, 2017
 
 
 
 

DEMONSTRATING DISPARITIES
UMOCA Presents Jason Manley's Shrinking Room
ED SPACE: AUG 25 - OCT 21
OPENING RECEPTION: AUG 25 | 7 - 9 PM
Salt Lake City, UT - The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMOCA) is thrilled to present Jason Manley's sociological exhibition, Shrinking Room.

Shrinking Room is a monumental, wood sculpture that merges architectural form with text to address issues of wealth inequality. This sculpture originated from Manley's interest in developing a project related to the acute angles forming the architecture of the UMOCA building, specifically the corner of his (A-I-R) studio space.
 
While exploring this distinct spatial dynamic, Manley connected the psychological impact of the tightness of this corner space to a statistical graphic produced by the UCSC sociology department. The pie chart shows that 80% of Americans share only 7% of the total financial wealth in the U.S. Manley then set out to construct a sculptural interpretation of the 7% slice by translating these proportions into a physical form. 

Shrinking Room incorporates 25 quotes by activists, philosophers, artists and writers spanning various points in history to present day, all of which assert opposition to greed, class inequality and oligarchical societies. Through various additive and subtractive woodworking methods, the quotations were carved and formed to produce lattice-screens. The sculpture was created with used pallet boards, and transforms these everyday objects used for transporting goods with digital design and computer controlled fabrication. The raw, weathered wood is contrasted by machine-cut font and hints at economical tensions between labor and technology, or divisions between production and capital. 
This exhibition will also open alongside Cities of Conviction in the Main and Codec Galleries, Jaime Salvador Castillo and Michael Anthony García's whereABOUTS in the Ed. Space and Al Ahad's The Hijab Project in the Ed. Space.
About the Artist
Jason Manley creates drawings, sculptures and public artworks that challenge functionalism and commercialization in the built environment. He repurposes industrial materials such as concrete, steel and found objects for poetic means of expression and to explore the myriad effects of language on the physical design of things and places. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally including recent solo exhibitions at Valerie Lambert Gallery in Brussels, Museum of Public Fiction in Los Angeles, and CUAC in Salt Lake City. His temporary and permanent public art projects have been displayed in California, Kansas and Nebraska. An MFA graduate of the University of Arizona, he has been an artist-in-residence at the Skowhegan School of Art, the Bemis Center of Contemporary Art and Illinois State University. His artwork has been written about and published in Artforum, LA Weekly, Design Bureau and Artillery. He has received grants from the Pollock Krasner Foundation, Arizona Commission of the Arts, and a Lindquist Fellowship award from Weber State University. He currently serves as Assistant Professor of Art, Head of Sculpture, in the Department of Visual Art and Design at Weber State University.
 
 
 
About the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art
The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMOCA) has advanced and elevated the community of contemporary arts and culture since it was established in 1931. UMOCA is a fearless voice for innovation, experimentation and dialogue surrounding the topics of our time. Located in the heart of Salt Lake City, UMOCA invites curiosity and promotes understanding of the challenging concepts that art and its reflective social commentary can present. UMOCA is a force for social transformation that unites all points of view, backgrounds, experience and ages through pertinent art exhibitions and educational programming. UMOCA evokes change, challenges ideologies, celebrates triumph and introduces an array of contemporary voices with in the Museum and throughout the community.
 
UMOCA is a five-time recipient of funding from the Andy Warhol Foundation and a 2015 and 2016 recipient of the Art Works Grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts.
 
UMOCA is a 501c3 institution that is supported by public foundation, and corporate gifts. Your donation in any amount is greatly appreciated, and admission is a $5 suggested donation.
 
Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, 20 South West Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
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