Works by Stewart Seidman at the Southern Utah Museum of Art

If you visited the Utah Shakespeare Festival this summer you may know how crowded with art the Southern Utah Museum of Art has been. The venue is usually packed — constructed as part of the architectural trend where designing an art museum focused more on creating an interesting shell than a particularly usable interior space, SUMA is one large hall that has to be divided into smaller spaces to make room for more than one exhibition — but it feels like never before has the space been devoted to so many colorful, stimulating works: ceramics lithographs, paintings, rugs, sculptures. At the center of this visual melee is The Past is Present: Art in Times of Crisis, featuring exhibitions by Stewart Seidman and Gonkar Gyatso.

Seidman, a self-trained painter originally from New York City and now residing in St. George, Utah, brings an expressionist approach to his explorations of several contemporary crises, including the Black Lives Matter movement, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the war in Ukraine. Through bold brushstrokes and striking color palettes, Seidman offers viewers a window into both individual and collective struggles, often blending personal experience with broader social commentary.

Portraits of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, and Martin Luther King, Jr., right, flank a work about the Black Lives Matter movement. All works by Stewart Seidman.

One particularly poignant work is “Tearful Memories” (2020), where Seidman presents a figure hunched over, gripping their head in anguish. The weight of the COVID-19 pandemic is evident in the swirling representations of the virus, which seem to cloud the figure’s thoughts. Dedicated to his sister, who tragically passed away from the virus, the painting captures a universal sense of grief that resonated with so many during the height of the pandemic. “Some Are Immune” (2020), another pandemic-era piece, takes a slightly different approach. Here, Seidman focuses on the often-overlooked role of animals, depicting a veterinarian cradling abandoned pets. The painting balances whimsy and seriousness, highlighting both the humor and heartache of the pandemic’s lesser-known victims.

In more recent works, the theme of war takes center stage. “Why?”—painted on recycled FedEx envelopes—depicts a weary soldier, his face buried in his hands as he contemplates the futility of war. Seidman’s use of the envelopes as his canvas adds an element of commentary on global communications and the ease with which messages of conflict and tragedy are delivered. Another strong piece, “The Forest for the Trees,” also created on recycled materials, shows soldiers lost in a dense forest, painted in the blue and yellow hues of the Ukrainian flag. The metaphor is clear: Russia’s invasion has left soldiers lost in the chaos of war, their vision obscured by the proverbial forest.

Seidman’s political engagement continues in “October 7, 2023” (2023), where he confronts the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In visceral imagery, he captures the brutal reality of Hamas’s attack on Israel, depicting the human cost of ongoing violence. His portrait of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (2022) also reflects his deep concern for war and leadership. Zelenskyy, painted with bold brushstrokes, is portrayed as a symbol of resilience, embodying the Ukrainian spirit in its fight against Russian aggression. In another piece, Seidman imagines Zelenskyy as a modern St. George, slaying the dragon of Vladimir Putin.

Three shiny and masked Buddhas surrounded by small works by Gonkar Gyatso.

In between two galleries of Seidman’s work are scores of small works by Gonkar Gyatso, a Tibetan-born British artist best known for his colorful collages that merge pop culture iconography with Buddhist spiritual symbols. His work is, at first glance, a kaleidoscope of colors, stickers, logos, and symbols. Yet, beneath the vibrant surface lies a profound meditation on identity, memory, and cultural transformation. This exhibition not only dazzles with its visual energy but also invites viewers to reflect on what has been lost, what has been gained, and how we navigate the complexities of a world shaped by globalization and migration.

Gyatso’s mastery of collage is evident in his ability to layer complex themes in deceptively simple works. In one piece, a serene Buddha sits at the center of a traditional thangka composition. However, this Buddha is not untouched by modern life—he is humorously adorned with a surgical mask, and cartoonish bursts of text encircle him. Masks proliferate throughout the pieces, and the reference to a specific time is unmistakable, but the artist manages to speak to broader, less time-specific issues, including  commercialization of spirituality, a commentary on the intrusion of contemporary anxieties into even the most sacred spaces.

Works by Gonkar Gyatso

Another standout work features a Buddha figure placed within the porcelain curves of a urinal, a direct nod to Marcel Duchamp’s famous Fountain. Gyatso juxtaposes the sacred and the profane, using this symbolic layering to suggest that spirituality and art exist even in the most unexpected places. It’s as if the Buddha has taken up residence in the heart of modernist art history, a witty commentary on how global ideas move and blend across cultures.

In another work, Gyatso presents a figure clad in vibrant garments, standing over a smaller, almost supplicant figure. The dynamics between the two figures hint at themes of power and control—whether spiritual, social, or political. Gyatso’s playful use of pop culture imagery within these traditional frameworks allows him to explore these power structures in a way that feels lighthearted yet carries deeper meaning.

Throughout The Past is Present: Art in Times of Crisis, Gyatso’s collages function as visual commentaries on how identities shift in the wake of globalization. His works ask the viewer to consider: How do we reconcile tradition with modernity? How do spiritual symbols change as they move through different cultural contexts? And, most importantly, what does this all mean for how we understand ourselves and our place in the world?

In this summer’s iteration of the Southern Utah Museum of Art, both Seidman and Gyatso bring forward compelling visions of the past and present. Through vibrant color, intricate compositions, and deeply personal themes, both artists remind us that crises—whether global or personal—shape who we are and how we view the world.

Works by Gonkar Gyatso

The Past is Present: Art in Times of Crisis, Southern Utah Museum of Art, Cedar City, through Sep. 28.

All images courtesy of the author.

Shawn Rossiter

The founder of Artists of Utah and editor of its online magazine, 15 Bytes, Shawn Rossiter has undergraduate degrees in English, French and Italian Literature and studied Comparative Literature in graduate school before pursuing a career in art.