DENVER — Local artist Jonathan Saiz has a new 10,000-piece art exhibit at the Denver Art Museum.
The piece, “#WhatisUtopia" will be up until November. Then, all the pieces will be given away for free to the public.
“For me, the contemporary art world is sort of a pyramid that keeps getting steeper and steeper, and there’re a lot of people that aren’t engaged because it’s so expensive,” Saiz said.
Ten thousand tiny paintings, drawings and relief sculptures are all placed on an 8-foot column that was inspired by a question through social media: #WhatisUtopa?
“In the 10,000 there’s 2-inch-by-2-inch pieces,” Saiz said. “Utopia for me is more of a global society, so it was important for me that there was as much global inspiration built into the piece as possible.”
Saiz said he created the piece in 150 days working an average 12 or more hours a day for seven days a week even while he traveled. He said he used time to create his vision of utopia which mixes beauty, nature and the human spirit.
“I spent a few days in Mexico to also study flora and fauna…more tropical…there’s a lot of greenery and birds and animals,” Saiz said. “I even used a gold engagement ring from my father from the 70s that he used and became my engagement ring when I got married.”
Saiz said the whole installation is built around the idea that art work doesn’t necessarily have monetary value, it has energetic value and cultural value and social value. That's part of the reason why he’s giving it all away to 10,000 different people.
"I want them to take away a sense of that they are loved…that there’s no difference between them and anyone else," Saiz said.
“I love that,” said museum visitor Neggin Tavana. “Art is for the people, and it’s not meant for one thing or one person, so being able to give 10,000 different people a piece of one thing totally circles back to the idea of Utopia.”
“That’s really incredible that 10,000 people are going to have a little bit of this piece of artwork,” added visitor Meghan Hoen. “It would be amazing to own one of these and have a piece of it…that would be really cool so yeah, why not?”
Saiz said there will be three events held for the giveaways and on Instagram announced later this summer.
“I grew up in Denver and it’s always been a dream to have my work in this museum,” Saiz said. “It still feels surreal for it to be here and to watch school groups of children walk around it ... it’s been a really incredible experience.”
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