The Gittins Gallery at the University of Utah proudly presents Coyotek, a solo exhibition by nationally and internationally celebrated Mexican-American artist Jorge Rojas. The gallery will host an opening reception on Thursday, October 2, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The artist will attend the opening of the exhibition, which will be on display through October 29, 2025.
Jorge Rojas: Coyotek is the second iteration of the traveling exhibition. The first was organized and presented at the El Paso Museum of Art, El Paso, Texas, February 28 - July 13, 2025, and organized in partnership with ProArtes México.
Jorge Rojas is a multidisciplinary artist born in Morelos, México, and based in Salt Lake City, Utah. His constant movement between México and the United States shaped his distinctive artistic practice. His frequent travel within and outside these countries has led him to develop a universal visual language and an experimental approach to Art.
Installation view of Jorge Rojas, Mexican American Flag (In Dependence), 2010, 60 x 96 inches. El Paso Museum of Art, El Paso, Texas, 2025. Courtesy the artist.
Coyotek is a term coined by Rojas that combines coyote and technology. It reflects Rojas's interests in borders, immigration policy, new media, and digital communication. Coyotek encapsulates the essence of Rojas's work, bridging ideas and concepts across cultures and creating a sense of connection.
Coyotek investigates Rojas's conceptual and often political work, inspired by spiritual histories, abuses of power, interpretations of ancient rites, and human interconnectedness. Overall, Coyotek showcases Rojas's diverse artistic practice, featuring a selection of his work, including photography, performance videos, a newly commissioned site-specific corn mandala, installations created over the past two decades, and several new works shown for the first time. His work aims to build bridges of understanding between cultures, fostering a flow and exchange of ideas that resonate with people from all walks of life.
"I'm interested in art that creates opportunities for bringing people together and provoking public engagement, action, and participation across political, geographical, and ideological borders. My practice delves into realms of the personal and the public, drawing inspiration from lived and shared experiences as a Mexican immigrant living in the United States. Through my work, I hold space that invites sharing, intimacy, joy, protest, and empowerment, collaborating with communities toward social and racial justice. Coyotek embodies the spirit of my work, identity, and the concepts I explore, including migration, mestizaje, ancestral knowledge, magic, and spirituality."
- Jorge Rojas
Temma Balducci, the Mary Lois Wheatley Presidential Department Chairperson, said, "Jorge Rojas is a visionary artist whose work transcends boundaries of tradition, medium, and culture. This exhibition invites us into a shared space of dialogue and discovery, where ancestral wisdom and contemporary practice converge. Through performances, installations, and participatory works, Rojas creates experiences that are both deeply personal and universally resonant—reminding us of art's power to connect, transform, and inspire. We are honored to present this exhibition of the University of Utah's alumnus Jorge Rojas's important and timely work."
Opening reception
Thursday, October 2, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Gittins Gallery
Film and Media Arts Building University of Utah
375 South 1530 East Salt Lake City, UT
Artist lecture
Department of Art & Art History
Art Building Auditorium (Room 158)
Wednesday, October 22 at 4:30 p.m.
Closing reception and live performance
Wednesday, October 29, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Jorge Rojas will perform at 6:00 p.m.
About Jorge Rojas
Jorge Rojas (b. Morelos, México) is a recognized multidisciplinary artist, performer, curator, and museum educator based in Salt Lake City, Utah. He studied Art at the University of Utah and Bellas Artes in San Miguel de Allende, México. Rojas uses visual Art, performance, and social engagement to examine cultural, social, and mediated communication and art production forms. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in multiple museums, galleries, and public spaces, and is included in numerous private and public collections, including The Mexican Museum, San Francisco; Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach; New Jersey State Museum, Trenton; State of Utah Alice Merrill Horne; and Salt Lake County Art Collections. In 2009, Rojas founded Low Lives, an international, multi-venue live streaming performance festival, where he served as director, producer, and curator, worked with over 200 artists in 25 countries, and collaborated with directors and curators from more than 30 partner organizations in 12 countries. From 2015 to 2021, Rojas served as director of learning and engagement at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, overseeing education, community engagement, and programming initiatives for the Museum. Artists of Utah/15 Bytes named Rojas one of Utah's Most Influential Artists in 2019, and in 2020, he was included in the Immigrant Artist Biennial out of NYC. In 2022, he was selected as a Visual Arts Fellow for the Utah Division of Arts & Museums and received the Salt Lake City Mayor's Artist Award. In 2024, he received a National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) Fund for the Arts award. Rojas's combined practice as an artist, curator, and educator aligns with his passion for working with communities and arts institutions towards social, racial, and cultural justice.