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November 22, 2024 – January 3, 2025
Friday, November 22, 6-9pm: Opening Reception
Friday, December 6, 6-9pm: Salt Lake Gallery Stroll
Roots Art Kollective: RAK Chronicles
Artist Statement
RAK Chronicles by Roots Art Kollective delves into the theme of identity, exploring how the distinct upbringings and artistic interests of its members—Miguel Galaz, Luis Novoa, and Alan Ochoa—intersect and influence their work. As immigrants, each artist brings a unique perspective to the collective, and while navigating their differences has presented challenges, it has also led to profound creative experiences.
Miguel often uses intricate patterns, motifs, and gradients, carefully choosing specific tones to evoke emotions tied to memory and place. Luis incorporates calligraphy to embed words and poems within the art, delivering subtle messages that speak to the theme of identity. Alan focuses on human figures and natural elements like flowers, which serve as metaphors for the deeper emotional and thematic undertones of their collective work.
The show highlights not only their collaborative murals but also the process of creating public art that reflects a snapshot of society. Like nature, murals are temporary—fleeting yet impactful. Once completed, they begin to fade, leaving behind only photographs, much like the fossil of a plant preserves a moment in time. This impermanence reflects the ever-changing environment around us and the shifting identities that shape our human experience.
Through this exhibition, the Roots Art Kollective hopes to inspire curiosity about the mural-making process, the techniques involved, and how their distinct experiences as artists and individuals come together to create a cohesive narrative.
RAK Bio
The Roots Art Kollective, founded in 2019 by artists Miguel Galaz, Alan Ochoa, and Luis Novoa, is a collaborative muralist group based in Utah. With diverse backgrounds in Art Education, Conservation Ecology, and Graphic Design, the Kollective brings a unique blend of cultural storytelling and environmental awareness to their public works. Their murals, featured across Utah and beyond, create vibrant, immersive spaces that celebrate cultural heritage while fostering community connection. The Kollective believes that public art has the power to transform environments and inspire dialogue, helping people connect to both the beauty of their surroundings and the richness of the cultures that make up their communities. From large-scale city murals to intimate community projects, the Roots Art Kollective’s mission is to use art to inspire, educate, and uplift.
Miguel Galaz was born in La Paz, Mexico, and moved to Salt Lake City, UT at the age of 11. He graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and an emphasis in Art Teaching. At the age of 23, he had the opportunity to travel across Mexico and Central America and grew an interest in Mesoamerican art. After these experiences, he developed a passion for muralism and focused his art on learning and sharing the beauty of ancient cultures.
Luis Novoa is a multidisciplinary artist and muralist, rooted in Salt Lake City, Utah. A proud University of Utah alumnus with a background in Sociology and Multidisciplinary Design, Luis's journey began in Los Angeles, California, before moving to Salt Lake City at the age of 4. Inspired from a young age by the bold narratives of Mexican muralism, Chicano art, and graffiti, he found his artistic voice as a first-generation Mexican-American. For Luis, public art is a powerful tool for sparking change, shifting perspectives, and instilling pride in communities. Through his large-scale murals, he passionately carries forward the vibrant tradition of Mexican muralism, leaving a lasting impact on the spaces he transforms.
Luis blends his love for the dynamic energy of graffiti art with the intricate beauty of calligraphy. Drawing inspiration from both the architectural cityscapes and the ancient wonders of the world, Luis creates works that attempt to reflect the pulse of the present cultural landscapes. Through his art, Luis Novoa seeks to foster human connections, inviting viewers to explore the layers of our surroundings to find beauty in unexpected places.
Alan was born in Colima, Mexico and migrated to the US at three months old. He studied painting and art at Salt Lake Community College and received a Bachelors in Conservation Ecology from Utah State University. His art draws from his experiences as an immigrant and his deep connection to the natural world, shaped by years of studying the beauty and complexity of the environment.
Mercedes Nok Yi Ng: The H City
Artist Statement
"The H City" is a series of paintings that explore my identity as a Hong Konger and reflect the multi-faceted nature of my home city. Through figures inspired by Daai Hei (Cantonese Opera), my works focus on a society where concealing one’s true self has become a means of survival.
These works convey that growing sense of unease and uncertainty, through contrasting portraits of fictional opera characters and ordinary Hong Kongers set in day-to-day scenes. My goal is to reveal the tension between what is visible on the surface and the true emotions of many Hong Kongers. I imagine ordinary individuals—street vendors, passersby—hiding behind metaphorical masks to protect themselves, not just from judgment but from the very real dangers of speaking out.
In the midst of government pressure on the judiciary, the suppression of personal, academic, and cultural freedoms develops rapidly. I imagine Hong Kong may not even be called Hong Kong in the next 20 years. It may find itself reduced. The “H city” in Southern China.
For Hong Kongers who are used to a city with freedom of expression, this shift has created an atmosphere of distrust. Behind closed doors, the real conversations are hushed; out in the open, it is safer to adopt a flowery facade. Walking around pretending that everything is “bright” and “beautiful.”
Through this series, I aim to capture the contrast between outward appearances and inner realities. Exploring the psychological costs of living in a city where survival sometimes means suppressing one’s true voice. As the world changes, my memory of my home is the only thing I can hold on to. By recollecting these bits and pieces of my past, I hope to gain a sense of control and ability to move into the unknown.
Bio
Mercedes Ng is an oil painter who lives and works in Salt Lake City, Utah. A native Hong Konger, her vibrant and cheerful paintings pay special tribute to her homeland. From bustling malls to jam-packed street markets, Hong Kong is well-known for its many crowds. Her paintings tend to involve cityscapes and still lifes, which are often lacking in population. By portraying her home in this manner, her objective is to create playful stories tinted with a sense of forsaken uncanniness.
Mercedes was educated at the University of Utah and later finished her Bachelor of Arts at Brigham Young University in 2020. Her works have been and are scheduled to be shown in exhibitions in the U.S., Hong Kong, Japan, and Ireland. She recently completed a month-long residency at Studio Kura, Fukuoka, Japan.
