Memory, Displacement, and Place

Join us on Thursday, October 24, at 7 PM for a discussion on the relationship between memory and displacement, presented in connection with the exhibition In Memory.

In an increasingly interconnected world, the themes of exile, displacement, and migration resonate deeply across cultures and histories. This exhibition explores the lived experiences of individuals and communities forced to leave their homes, showcasing the resilience and creativity that arise from such profound transitions. Focusing on the work of Dalila Sanabria, Milad Mozari, and Ana Mendieta, whose practice reflects the dualities of identify that are shaped by displacement, and reveal how memories of home—both past and present—inform their work.

Moderator

Renato Olmedo-González is a proud queer immigrant from Guadalajara, México and the Arts Council’s current Public Art Program Manager. He began his professional career in the cultural field as an undergraduate student at the University of Utah, where he obtained dual bachelor’s degrees in Art History and Latin American Studies. Outside of work, Renato enjoys spending time with his boyfriend, collecting art and music on vinyl, indulging reality tv shows, reading books by Spanish and Latin American authors, playing videogames, and bonding with Diego, his adopted Papillon mix dog.

Panelists

Dalila Sanabria is a Chilean-Colombian-American artist from central Florida, living in New Haven, CT. Working primarily with sculpture, installation, and video, her work references domestic sites and sacred architectures, accumulating organic materials and kinetic technologies as catalysts to explore displacement, permanence, and belonging. Currently, she is the 2024-2025 Artist-in-Residence for the Latinx Project at New York University and a participant of the Interdisciplinary Art and Theory Program (IATP) held in Manhattan, NY.

Milad Mozari is an Assistant Professor in the Multi-disciplinary Design program. Born in Tehran and raised in Salt Lake City, his research-based practice often starts with sound or spatial experiments, which then attempt to resonate physically, historically, and experientially. While studying for his BS in International Studies at the University of Utah, he began to make and exhibit work about language and place. He continued his studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he received an MFA in the Department of Sound, followed by teaching in the Department of Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects for five years focusing on digital fabrication.  Exhibitions and performances include the Hong Kong Arts Centre, International Symposium of Electronic Arts, Chicago International Film Festival, IndieLisboa, Litmus Community Space, Chicago Cultural Center, the Studebaker Theater, and Experimental Sound Studio. Fellowships and residencies include Asian Cultural Council Grant to Individuals, Wave Farm, Pioneer Works, Ox-Bow, Incheon Art Platform, Taipei Artist Village, Madou Sugar Industry Triennial, and soundpocket.

Kristina Gibby is an Assistant Professor of Humanities at UVU. She holds a BA in Humanities and MA in Comparative Studies from Brigham Young University and a PhD in Comparative Literature (Minor in Hispanic Studies) from Louisiana State University. She teaches introductory humanities courses, world literature, Caribbean literature, and Latin American humanities. Dr. Gibby’s interests include time, memory, history, nature, modern art, and Hemispheric American studies. She has published articles and book chapters on Carson McCullers, Sandra Cisneros, Zoé Valdés, Maryse Condé, and Edwidge Danticat. Her first book, Ancestral Voices, Healing Narratives, released December 2023, analyzes the role of female spirits in contemporary novels from the US and the Caribbean

Supported by Utah Humanities and Art Bridges Foundation.