Sarah Magnatta, PhD

In Fall 2023, the Vicki Myhren Gallery at the University of Denver will showcase the work of acclaimed artist Gonkar Gyatso. In 2009, Gyatso became the first Tibetan artist to exhibit at the Venice Biennale and his work is collected in several international museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Gyatso has moved consistently throughout his career, often finding himself as the voice of Tibetan diasporic artists in New York City, London, and Dharamsala, India. At his current residence in Chengdu, China, Gyatso has faced the harsh restrictions of an almost three-year quarantine; it is only recently that political protests have forced a governmental acquiescence to the call for a reopening.

In this exhibition, the artist addresses the massive impact of COVID-19 (and its subsequent political implications), other global events, and personal reflections in his work as the gallery exhibits over 300 small drawings on paper for the first time. In addition to these drawings, the artist is constructing three new contemporary Buddha sculptures specifically for the DU exhibition with the help of a Tibetan-run foundry in Chengdu. The artist will be here for the opening of the exhibition on September 28, 2023. A catalog will be available with an essay by curator Sarah Magnatta and the over 300+ drawings published for the first time. The exhibition will travel to Southern Utah University in Summer 2024.

Read the catalog essay here.

See video about exhibition here.

The Lanius Lecture series brings to the DU campus distinguished artists, scholars, and curators working in areas formerly marginalized by art historical and museum institutional narratives. By shifting our attention to these areas of focus, particularly the global south, diasporic communities, and indigenous communities, this lecture series reaffirms the DU School of Art and Art History’s commitment to amplifying these voices.

For more about Mary Lanius and the series, click here.

McNichols Civic Center

October 16, 2021- December 19, 2021

More information here.

In 1989, an art critic noted Louise Cadillac’s paintings “work like a vivid but imperfectly understood dream... the paintings burrow series by series, deeper and deeper into unconscious thought.” Artworks from those same series referenced—the Stone Series, Ritual Series and Interior Series—are amongst those presented in this exhibition more than thirty years after their initial showing. And although the paintings may still serve as glimpses of unconscious thought, they are also tangible markers of a full life.

Cadillac, now in her mid-nineties, employs a number of experimental painting techniques in her work: “My efforts are to produce a surface as visually rich as it is richly symbolic of the layers of time, of space, of oxidation, and corrosion.” Although her paintings have been published in several books and journals, including The Artist’s Magazine and Creative Watercolors, Cadillac was perhaps underappreciated as an artist who explored abstract imagery during the predominance of figural painting in the 1980s. The works shown here—a mere handful from the more than 700 acrylic paintings, watercolors, and monotypes Cadillac produced during the past half century—are a testament to her life’s work as one of Colorado’s great abstract artists.

Exhibition Consultant

Museum of Outdoor Arts

February 24- March, 2021 (extended date)

Working with head Guest Curator Dan Jacobs (Dan Jacobs and Associates), I consulted on the Rauschenberg exhibition in several ways, including developing the checklist, working on the narrative, and writing exhibition text. I also contributed an essay comprised of interviews I conducted with three Tibetan artists who were in Lhasa during Rauschenberg’s ROCI visit there in the 1980’s, found here. For more information about the exhibition, please see the Museum of Outdoor Arts website here.

Check out a curators’ tour of the exhibition here.

Curator
In the 6th century, artist and critic Xie He described six key components necessary for a successful work of art. His first requirement was a “spirit resonance” or vitality present in the work; without this element, there was no need to look further. The image must be animated through an intangible quality that comes directly from the artist’s energy. The harmony and balance of the finished artwork depends on this spirit resonance, much like the notes of a song flowing together.

Although Xie He was referencing ink painting in his directive, the philosophy applies equally to the artforms shown here: various forms of printmaking. Through monotype, lithography, screenprint, and collagraphy, the six artists in this exhibition all grapple with notions of balance and harmony in their work, but the result is an energy that transcends materiality. The abstract nature of many of these works makes this intangible quality even more relevant; the lack of figural representation or narrative requires something else to connect with the audience. It is the spirit resonance, and though it is indescribable, it is also indispensable.

The exhibition will highlight works by artists Taiko Chandler, Catherine Chauvin, Marie-Dolma Chophel, Angela Craven, Jade Hoyer, and Sangeeta Reddy. Spirit Resonance: The Vitality of Printmaking is guest curated by Sarah Magnatta and will be exhibited at the McNichols Civic Center building from January 18, 2020-April 2020. The opening will be on January 18; for more information click here.

Image: Taiko Chandler, Constellation #1 (detail), monotype, oil-based ink, hand-colored with watercolor on paper, 41” x 29”

Exhibition Consultant

When Faith Stone first saw the work of Karma Phuntsok, it was a cosmic event. His painting Invocation of Buddha brought together traditional elements of Tibetan Buddhist imagery with a newfound sense of scale, varied background, and a decidedly non-traditional form. Karma’s work inspired Faith to do the same; both artists now work in the space between merging spheres of influence. Karma’s art incorporates influences from his life in Australia after having fled Tibet decades ago; Faith’s work incorporates new methods of production, including printing methods typically not used with the type of imagery she presents. The result is a body of work that is infinitely accessible; the art transcends its Buddhist subjects and connects broadly with its audiences. The artists, friends for decades, are exhibiting their work together for the first time.

Karma and Faith will be shown at the Chancery Art Space in downtown Denver. Opening night is November 1, 5-8pm. For more details, please click here.

The Denver Art Museum has acquired Karma Phuntsok’s The Three Precious Jewels triptych. See it at Chancery Art Space before it moves to the DAM for their reinstalled galleries, opening 2021!

Opening September 12, 2019

Join me for the opening reception September 12, 6pm-8pm. For more information, please click here.

See gallery video here.

See interview with the artist here.

See Hyperallergic review of exhibition here.

Download exhibition catalog here.

The College of Arts & Media at the University of Colorado Denver presents an exhibition of works by artist and CU Denver graduate Tenzing Rigdol at the Emmanuel Art Gallery March 21 through June 7, 2019.  This is the first solo U.S. exhibition for Rigdol whose works have been shown internationally, including at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. This exhibition will include a printed catalog of the works in addition to  events on campus with artist Tenzing Rigdol, Curator Sarah Magnatta, and Gallery Director Jeff Lambson. Loans and funding have been made possible through the generosity of Emmy and Lambert Bunker.

Artist, activist, and poet Tenzing Rigdol was trained in several traditional Tibetan arts, including thangka painting, in India and Nepal.  He moved to the United States and graduated from the College of Arts and Media at the University of Colorado Denver, in 2005.  His mastery over a wide range of materials is evident in his paintings, digital works, photographs, and even a site-specific installation of Tibetan soil brought to India—a work documented in the 2012 film Bringing Tibet Home.  Rigdol’s large series of buddhas, titled My World Is in Your Blind Spot and created out of textiles, will be the centerpiece of the exhibition.  These fabric panels show each of the five buddhas in flames, a reference to the self-immolations taking place in Tibet.  For more information about Tenzing Rigdol’s work or the exhibition, please contact me. Flyer available here.

The artist discusses the work Prophecy here.

Leang Seckon was born in Prey Veng province, Cambodia, in the early 1970’s and lived during a time of genocide perpetrated by the ruling Khmer Rouge.  His artwork often reflects this fraught history, so much so that his 2014 solo exhibition at Rossi & Rossi in London was titled Hell on Earth.  His paintings are often multi-layered, both literally and symbolically.  He uses cut-outs to create deep patterning and shadows within the canvas; the resulting effect is visually stunning.  His paintings and collages bring unlikely figures together: kings from Cambodia’s past empires sit aside modern global political leaders.  The exhibition at McNichols Building brings together a dozen of Seckon’s latest endeavors, including paintings, collages, and installed mixed-media works.  The exhibition is guest curated by Sarah Magnatta.

The Denver Art Museum acquired the title work from this exhibition, Prophecy, and it will be a highlight of their new Southeast Asia galleries when the collection re-installation opens in 2021.

For the Ganesha exhibition at the Denver Art Museum (October 2017-January 2019), I was responsible for the following:

-reviewing and researching all checklist objects

-writing panel text and labels for all objects

-proposed and commissioned a “touchable Ganesha” as an interactive component for the exhibition (see my museum blog post regarding this process)

-contributed to other interpretive components, including installed video, graphic mural, and a family programs-developed book for use in gallery

-trained docents on exhibition content

For the Linking Asia exhibition at the Denver Art Museum (December 2017-March 2018), I was responsible for the following:

-contributed to labels and panel text

-edited all text related to “Devotion” section

-wrote catalog essay “The Transmission of Buddhist Art through Asia”

-trained docents for exhibition tours

For the Samurai exhibition a the Denver Art Museum (March 2016-June 2016, I was responsible for:

-writing labels

-writing audio tour for adults

-training docents for exhibition tours

-museum blog post

The mandala interpretive project developed out of the desire to connect visitors to a work of art; in this case, the Tibetan sand mandala of the Asian Collection was the focus. By providing a nearby table and coloring mandalas, visitors were able to have a mindful experience and look more closely at one work of art (a graphic of the sand mandala was printed on the table). We commissioned a local artist to create a coloring mandala page that drew inspiration from the sacred work, but omitted any specific religious imagery in an effort to remain culturally sensitive. Read more about the project on my museum blog post.

I am an assistant professor of Global Contemporary Art at the University of Denver where I have been teaching classes in various capacities since 2010. I have also taught at the following institutions:

University of Colorado (Boulder, Colorado Springs, Denver)

Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design

Metropolitan State University of Denver

For a list of invited lectures and conference papers, please view my cv.