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ReCoding the Codex: Cultural Heritage through Language

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  • 2 min read


July 25 - October 10, 2026

Artist Reception: Saturday, July 25, 2026, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Composition of three portraits. Left portrait is an Asian woman with her eyes closed. Middle portrait is a man standing. Portrait on the right is a male priest sitting. All figures are drawn using words in place of lines and shading. Text reads Recoding the Codex: Cultural Heritage Through Language.
Bryan Ida, from the Con.Text series, 2021

ReflectSpace presents ReCoding the Codex: Cultural Heritage through Language, an exhibition that considers the complicated relationship between language, social justice, and cultural heritage. The codex is the historical name for a book, this becomes the starting point for the artists to re-create or re-code the way language is seen and read. Located inside Central Library, Glendale’s ultimate repository of language and books, ReflectSpace is the ideal setting for this exhibition, which intersects art, social justice, and language.

 

Through drawing, painting, sculpture, installation and video, the artists employ language in the form of script, handwriting, calligraphy, historical records, and archival and commercial texts, to highlight social justice issues that are relevant to their unique cultural communities. Based in the U.S. and Korea, ReCoding the Codex addresses colonization, Japanese American incarceration, and exploitation of agricultural workers, creating an international dialogue about harnessing the power of text and word in innovative ways.

 

In the PassageWay, works from Self Help Graphics & Art, an East L.A. art institution, extend these themes through pieces from their vast print and monograph collection.

 

Exhibit artists include Hyun Ho Hwang, Bryan Ida, Jin Woo Kim, Narsiso Martinez, Jung Min Park and artists from Self-Help Graphics & Art.

 

ReCoding the Codex, curated by Ara and Anahid Oshagan, Monica Hye Yeon Jun is part of a series of ReflectSpace exhibitions addressing cultural heritage launched in 2025 with Reimagining Algorithms: Cultural Heritage in the Age of AI.

 

This exhibition is sponsored by the Glendale Arts & Culture Commission through funding from the Urban Art Fund.



ReflectSpace

Glendale Central Library

222 East Harvard Street

Glendale, CA 91205


View the Visit page for parking, public transit information, and open hours.

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