Utah Museum of Fine Arts Announces salt 18: Amor Muñoz

Exhibition on view October 24, 2026–June 6, 2027

Media Contact:
​Emma Ryder
​Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Director of Marketing the Communications
​emma.ryder@umfa.utah.edu
​801-581-7328

For Immediate Release

Salt Lake City, Utah — The Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA) on the University of Utah campus is pleased to announce salt 18: Amor Muñoz, opening October 24, 2026, and on view through June 6, 2027. The exhibition features new work by Amor Muñoz, a Mexico City-based interdisciplinary artist whose research-driven practice examines the complex relationships between technology, craft, labor, and biology. ​

To celebrate the exhibition's debut, the UMFA will host a free public opening party on Friday, October 23, 2026, from 6 to 9 p.m. Visitors will be among the first to experience Muñoz's immersive installation, with the artist present. ​ ​

For salt 18, Muñoz turns to corn, known in Nahuatl as elotl and in Spanish as elote. More than a staple food, corn serves as a carrier of memory, a record of cultural exchange, and a living repository of knowledge passed across generations. At the heart of the exhibition is KaleidescopElote, an immersive installation constructed from enlarged resin corn kernels. Part observatory, part lighthouse, part seed bank, and part oracle, the work invites visitors into an interactive digital kaleidoscope of stars and seeds, exploring connections between agriculture, architecture, and celestial observation.

An interactive sculpture and augmented reality sound experience, KaleidescopElote responds to visitors' movement throughout the gallery. By bringing contemporary technologies into conversation with ancient systems of knowledge, Muñoz reveals enduring relationships among people, the natural world, and the cosmos.

Amor Muñoz is a self-taught artist whose multidisciplinary work encompasses textiles, sculpture, sound, installation, and performance. For more than fifteen years, she has transformed the rigid language of engineering into tactile, human-centered forms. Her work has been exhibited internationally at institutions including the Barbican Centre, SFMOMA, Ars Electronica, MUAC, the Havana Biennial, and the National Art Center, Tokyo.

A companion publication featuring the essay "Corn, Code, Cosmos: Ancient Intelligence in the Work of Amor Muñoz" by Dr. Emily Lawhead, UMFA Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, will accompany the exhibition.

Founded in 2010, salt is the UMFA's annual solo exhibition series dedicated to showcasing regional, national, and international contemporary artists who are shaping today's global artistic landscape and engaging with urgent issues of our time. The series prioritizes collaboration with artists early in their careers, often presenting their first exhibition in a major museum, in the American West, or in the United States. Through salt, the UMFA fosters critical dialogue and supports the development of contemporary artistic practice. ​

Exhibition Details ​
​Exhibition: salt 18: Amor Muñoz ​
​Dates: October 24, 2026 – June 6, 2027

Opening Celebration ​
​Date: Friday, October 23, 2026 ​
​Time: 6-9 p.m. ​
​Location: Utah Museum of Fine Arts ​
​Admission: Free; RSVP encouraged at umfa.utah.edu/event/salt-18-public-opening/

12 Still of generative kaleidoscope in KaleidescopElote (2026). Image courtesy of Amor Muñoz Studio.4 KaleidoscopElote, 2026 Amor Muñoz Interactive Installation 320cmx160cmx160cm Renders Luis Bolaños Courtesy Amor Muñoz Studio

6 KaleidoscopElote, 2026 Amor Muñoz Interactive Installation 320cmx160cmx160cm Renders Luis Bolaños Courtesy Amor Muñoz Studio2 KaleidoscopElote, 2026 Amor Muñoz Interactive Installation 320cmx160cmx160cm Renders Luis Bolaños Courtesy Amor Muñoz Studio

7 KaleidoscopElote, 2026 Amor Muñoz Interactive Installation 320cmx160cmx160cm Renders Luis Bolaños Courtesy Amor Muñoz Studio11 Still of generative kaleidoscope in KaleidescopElote (2026). Image courtesy of Amor Muñoz Studio.

13 Still of generative kaleidoscope in KaleidescopElote (2026). Image courtesy of Amor Muñoz Studio.3 KaleidoscopElote, 2026 Amor Muñoz Interactive Installation 320cmx160cmx160cm Renders Luis Bolaños Courtesy Amor Muñoz Studio

10 KaleidoscopElote, 2026 Amor Muñoz Interactive Installation 320cmx160cmx160cm Renders Luis Bolaños Courtesy Amor Muñoz Studio

The Utah Museum of Fine Arts is located on the University of Utah campus in the Marcia and John Price Museum Building at 410 Campus Center Drive. The UMFA’s mission is to inspire critical dialogue and illuminate the role of art in our lives. For more information visit ​ www.umfa.utah.edu.