In conjunction with Getty’s PST ART: Art & Science Collide initiative, Roberts Projects is honored to present Mojotech, a monumental altar assemblage by the renowned artist Betye Saar. Originally conceived in 1987 during Saar’s residency at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), this installation serves as a profound exploration of the intersection between contemporary technology and ancient spiritual practices.

In Mojotech, Saar interrogates the presence of the metaphysical within the realm of modern technology by juxtaposing ritualistic objects, charms, and symbols with circuit boards and electronic components. This deliberate fusion draws aesthetic and conceptual parallels between the organic world and the constructed technological sphere. Invoking a participatory element, the work invites viewers to leave personal or technological offerings at the base of the altar, echoing the accumulative tradition of African sculpture, which integrates various “power” elements from diverse cultural practices.

Archival materials from Saar’s MIT residency will also be featured in the exhibition, including original photographs, slides, sketches, printed materials, and the initial communal offerings from the work’s inaugural installation. These artifacts serve to connect the original manifestation of Mojotech with its present iteration, offering a critical reflection on the evolving relationship between art, technology, and spirituality.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a catalogue to be published by Roberts Projects, featuring extensive materials from Saar’s residency at MIT and Mojotech’s installation history over the years.


Panel Discussion: Gender, Art and Technology
Saturday, November 9, 2024, 1pm

In celebration of Mojotech’s 37th anniversary, Roberts Projects will hold a panel discussion on the links between gender, art and technology that have emerged since the mid-20th century. Panelists include Nancy Baker-Cahill, Sarah Rosalena and Mindy Seu, with Jori Finkel as moderator. This conversation will be open to the public with the artist herself in attendance. On view during the event will be additional artworks by Saar that demonstrate her longstanding interest in using technological components in her practice. Further details will be shared in September 2024. To register to attend, please visit the following link.


PST ART: Art and Science Collide

Southern California’s landmark arts event, PST ART, returns in September 2024 with more than 818 artists, 50 exhibitions and 1 mind-blowing theme: Art & Science Collide. In partnership with museums and institutions across the region, this is one of the most expansive art events in the world. This “collision” will explore the intersections of Art and Science, both past and present, with diverse organizations activating exhibitions on topics like ancient cosmologies, Indigenous sci-fi, environmental justice and artificial intelligence. PST ART is a Getty initiative; visit pst.art for details.


About the Artist

Betye Saar (b. 1926) received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1949, with graduate studies at California State University at Long Beach, the University of Southern California and California State University at Northridge. Saar holds 6 honorary doctorates from California Institute of the Arts; Otis College of Art & Design; California College of Arts and Crafts; San Francisco Art Institute; Massachusetts College of Art; Cornish College of the Arts; and over 37 honors including two National Endowment for the Arts (1974, 1984); Studio Museum in Harlem (1989); Los Angeles County Museum of Art (2019); Academy of Arts and Letters (2021). She has received 5 Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Congressional Black Caucus (2008); California African American Museum (2011); Edward McDowell Medal (2014); Museum of the African Diaspora (2017) and International Sculpture Center (2019).

Saar’s work is in over 80 museum collections including: The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Whitney Museum; Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture; National Gallery of Art; Studio Museum in Harlem and Los Angeles County Museum of Art. In 2018, the Museum of Modern Art acquired 42 important early works, making their holdings the largest public collection of Saar’s artwork.

Since 1961, Saar has been represented in more than 900 exhibitions. Current exhibitions include Betye Saar: Drifting Toward Twilight, The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, CA (November 11, 2023 – November 30, 2025); Betye Saar: Atlas | The Alpha and the Omega, Fondazione Prada, Milan, Italy (2021 – present); Toward the Celestial: ICA Miami’s Collection at 10 Years, Institute of Contemporary Art Miami, FL (May 3 – November 1, 2024); Tender Loving Care, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA (July 22, 2023 – July 28, 2025); Dream On, Bonnefanten, Maastricht, The Netherlands (June 6, 2024 – June 30, 2025) and In the Making: Contemporary Art at SBMA, Santa Barbara Art Museum (July 21, 2024 – March 9, 2025).

Upcoming exhibitions include Betye Saar: Wearables, Collegium at University of Chicago, IL (January 30 – April 18, 2025); Project a Black Planet: The Art and Culture of Panafrica, The Art Institute of Chicago, IL (December 14, 2024 – March 30, 2025); Vital Signs: Artists and the Body, Museum of Modern Art, NY (November 3, 2024 – February 22, 2025); The Shape of Power: Stories of American Race and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC (November 8, 2024–September 14, 2025) and Tarot: A Reading from Art, La Casa Encendida, Madrid, Spain (October 10, 2024 - January 12, 2025).

Recent exhibitions include Paraventi: Folding Screens from the 17th to 21st Centuries, Fondazione Prada, Milan, Italy (October 25, 2023 – February 26, 2024); Entangled Pasts: 1768 – Now, Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK (February 3 - April 28, 2024); Mapping an Art World: Los Angeles in the 1970s-80s, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA (June 18, 2023 – Mar 17, 2024); Cooking Cleaning Caring: Care Work in the Arts since 1960, Josef Albers Museum Quadrat, Bottrop, Germany (October 22, 2023 – March 03, 2024); Artist’s Choice: Grace Wales Bonner – Spirit Movers, Museum of Modern Art, NY (November 18, 2023 – April 7, 2024); Groove: Artists and Intaglio Prints, 1500 to Now, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA (December 16, 2023 – June 16, 2024); Betye Saar: Heart of a Wanderer, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, MA (February 16 – May 23, 2023); Betye Saar: Serious Moonlight, Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, FL (October 21, 2021 – March 6, 2022), FRAC Lorraine Museum, Metz, France (September 9, 2022 – January 22, 2023), Kunstmuseum, Luzerne, Switzerland (February 25 – June 18, 2023).

The Betye Saar Catalogue Raisonné Project was established in 2016 to preserve Saar’s artistic practice and educate future generations about her significant contributions to American art history. For more information, please visit betyesaarcatalogueraisonne.org.

For additional information regarding Betye Saar, please visit robertsprojectsla.com or contact Alexandria Ryahl, Associate Director at 1.323.549.0223 and alexandria@robertsprojectsla.com.

For press inquiries, please reach out to the team at ALMA