OGDEN, UT.- Ogden Contemporary Arts announced Zachary Fabri as its 2026 Artist in Residence. Fabri, a Brooklyn-based interdisciplinary artist working in lens-based media and public space, will be in residence at OCA from August 1 through October 4, 2026, developing a new body of work inspired by the landscape, history, and the communities of northern Utah. The residency will result in a solo exhibition opening with a live performance on Friday, October 2, 2026.
During his residency, Fabri will investigate the history and presence of salt extraction in Utah, asking two deceptively simple questions: What is taken? What remains? Working across video, photography, sculpture, and drawing, he will trace how these questions reverberate from the extractive labor practices of the trans-Atlantic slave trade into Black culture today.
The project takes Fabri to the Great Salt Lake, where he will photograph and film the pink waters surrounding Stansbury Island, and to Compass Minerals' 55,000-acre solar evaporation ponds, the source of salt for a series of new sculptures fabricated with local Ogden partners. Drawing inspiration from the Rothko Chapel and Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty, Fabri is also informed by salt's role across spiritual traditions and by his own Jamaican heritage — including ackee and saltfish, Jamaica's national dish, whose pairing of northern European salted cod and West African ackee carries the complexities of the island's colonial history and creative resilience. The ancient ritual of the salt covenant serves as a foundation for new works that speak to unity and peace.
“Zachary's project embodies everything our Artist in Residence program is meant to do,” said Venessa Castagnoli, Executive Director of Ogden Contemporary Arts. “It is deeply rooted in this place, shaped through collaboration with our community, and invites us to look at the landscape around us in an entirely new way. His work connects the salt beneath our feet to the stories that have shaped this region, creating space for reflection, conversation, and a deeper understanding of where we live.”
“I make work that reveals the connective elements of people. Using abstraction and humor, I poke and prod systems of daily life.” said Fabri. “My time in Ogden provides an opportunity for immersive research around the simple mineral of salt and the unique qualities of this natural environment.”
Throughout the residency, Fabri will lead a series of free public programs. A lecture on his art practice at Weber State University's Kimball Visual Arts Center. A movement workshop will invite participants into somatic exercises responding to the gallery's site and architecture. Tastings of Jamaican salt cod cuisine prepared by chef Donovan of Jamaica's Kitchen. The residency concludes with a performance of movement, monologue, and acoustic sound during the opening reception on October 2. Program dates and registration details will be announced at ogdencontemporaryarts.org.
OCA’s Artist in Residence program is made possible by: Weber County R.A.M.P., George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Utah Arts & Museums, Ogden City Arts, Utah Office of Tourism, and Sam and Diane Stewart Family Foundation.
Zachary Fabri is a Brooklyn based interdisciplinary artist engaged in lens-based media and public space. He works across video, drawing, and installation, often complicating the boundaries of studio research and performance. He is the recipient of awards that include The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award, the New York Foundation for the Arts fellowship, and the BRIC Colene Brown Art Prize. Fabri’s work has been exhibited at Art in General, The Studio Museum in Harlem, El Museo del Barrio, The Walker Art Center, The Brooklyn Museum, and the Ludwig Museum in Budapest, Hungary. Collaborative projects include the Museum of Modern Art, the Sharjah Biennial, and Pace Gallery. Zachary Fabri is the recipient of the 2024 Nancy B. Negley Rome Prize at the American Academy in Rome. Currently his film is in the exhibition Beyond Representation 2, at Pérez Art Museum Miami, Caribbean Cultural Institute.
