In a press release, OCA announced that Brooklyn-based Zachary Fabri is its 2026 artist in residence. His residence began at the beginning of the month and will continue through Oct. 4 with a live performance Friday, Oct. 2.

“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 release said.  “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.”

Venessa Castagnoli, executive director of Ogden Contemporary Arts, said Fabri is the perfect fit for OCA’s program.

“Zachary’s project embodies everything our Artist in Residence program is meant to do,” she said in the release. “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.”

Fabri said he looks forward to his time in Ogden.

“I make work that reveals the connective elements of people. Using abstraction and humor, I poke and prod systems of daily life.” he said in the release. “My time in Ogden provides an opportunity for immersive research around the simple mineral of salt and the unique qualities of this natural environment.”

OCA notes there will also be several public engagement opportunities throughout Fabri’s residency.

“Throughout the residency, Fabri will lead a series of free public programs,” the release said. “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.”

For more on these public engagement opportunities, visit ogdencontemporaryarts.org.