The Center for Documentary Arts, in partnership with The Leonardo, the Salt Lake City Film Center and the University of Utah’s College of Humanities, will present “Exodus,” a 300-piece photography exhibit by renowned documentary artist Sebastião Salgado.
The exhibit, which opens October 1 and runs through December 17, will be on display at The Leonardo at Library Square, an art, culture and science center being developed in the former main library building in downtown Salt Lake City
Brazilian-born Salgado is widely considered the most important documentary photographer working today. He has covered such events as wars in Angola and the Spanish Sahara, the taking of Israeli hostages in Entebbe, and the attempted assassination of President Ronald Regan. From 1984 until 1986, he worked alongside Doctors Without Boarders to document the African Famine. Salgado has been awarded virtually every major photographic prize including the W. Eugene Smith Grant in Humanistic Photography, and was twice named Photographer of the Year by the International Center of Photography. He is currently a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and an honorary member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences in the United States.
The Exhibit
“Exodus” (also called “Migrations”) is one of the largest and most important photography exhibits ever to come to the Intermountain Region. Since its debut, it has traveled to galleries throughout the world, including Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris, Scuderie Papali al Quirinale in Rome, and United Nations Hall and International Center of Photography in New York City. Salgado and his photographs have also been featured in recent issues of both Rolling Stone magazine and The New Yorker.
“Exodus” tells the story of the unprecedented displacement of millions of people at the close of the 20th century due to war, natural disasters, environmental degradation, and the widening gap between rich and poor. Salgado worked for six years in 40 countries photographing men, women and children on the road, in refugee camps and in city slums. His photographs capture their dignity, courage and entrepreneurial spirit, while at the same time conveying a larger picture of the massive social and political transformations taking place in a world increasingly polarized by excess and want.
The exhibit will include lectures, discussions, a film series organized by the Salt Lake City Film Center, and other public education opportunities. Organizers will also provide curriculum materials and special training for teachers who wish to bring their students to the exhibit.
A portion of all “Exodus” ticket sales to will go support Salgado’s Instituto Terra, a foundation committed to reforestation efforts in Brazil. Exhibit organizers plan to provide a variety of sponsored free days for the general public to ensure access to as many people as possible.
Residency
In conjunction with “Exodus,” the University of Utah’s College of Humanities will host Sebastião Salgado in residence Nov. 29-Dec. 2 on the University of Utah campus. The residency will include meeting with students and faculty involved in environmental humanities, documentary studies and Latin American studies. Salgado also will meet with the broader university community to discuss "Exodus," as well as his current "Genesis" project.
Salgado said of his motivation to create “Exodus”: "My hope is that, as individuals, as groups, as societies, we can pause and reflect on the human condition at the turn of the millennium. In its rawest form, individualism remains a prescription for catastrophe. We have to create a new regimen of coexistence."
“Exodus” is organized by Lélia Wanick Salgado, the exhibition curator. Major support has been provided by Kodak Professional, a division of Eastman Kodak Company and by Leica Camera.
About CDA
Founded in 1983, the Center for Documentary Arts (CDA) is dedicated to using the tools of documentary work—photography, oral history, film making, narrative writing, radio broadcasting, and visual art—to help Utahns look inward to better understand our state’s past and present, and to gaze outward to discover our connections to the nation and the world. CDA creates and supports projects that examine and honor the cultural, spiritual and ethnic identities of our state’s and nation’s diverse populations in forums wherein we can acknowledge differences, establish common ground, and build community.
About The Leonardo
Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci—one of history’s most versatile visionaries—The Leonardo will be a one-of-a-kind art, culture and science center that encourages visitors to explore subjects from new perspectives.
The Leonardo will open in the former Salt Lake City main library building on Library Square. From this exciting location, The Leonardo and the magnificent new City Library will create a dynamic public square for research and learning. The mission of The Leonardo, with its innovative art-culture-science approach, is to become a national model for exploration, discovery and invention.
Three founding partners have come together to develop The Leonardo: Global Artways, Salt Lake City’s arts education program; the Center for Documentary Arts, and; the Utah Science Center.
About the University of Utah’s College of Humanities
The College of Humanities is at the core of the University of Utah's mission and the experience of higher education. The Humanities offer a continuing reminder of and approach to a conscience in a complex world. Faculty produce scholarship and offer instruction directly addressing communication skills, critical thinking, cultural awareness and diversity, close readings of print and visual media, and how to embrace other perspectives. As a result, they help to produce better-informed, thoughtful world citizens with a foundation for nuance and flexibility.
The College's 170 tenured and tenure-track faculty have published 60 books and more than 300 articles in the past three years, possess international distinction as scholars, are the most frequent winners of University teaching and research awards, and are the most diverse in terms of ethnicity and gender in the University.
