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This December, immerse yourself in a cultural celebration with a series of art exhibits in Los Angeles. Explore the works of both local and international artists, spanning from AD 161-180 to the 21st century. Make art your choice for the holiday season!

Painting in the River of Angels: Judy Baca and The Great Wall – LACMA

New chapter for The Great Wall of Los Angeles. Artist Judy Baca has been creating a mile of narrative from the 1950s to the twenty-first century. Transformed into a studio, the museum is housing two sections of the mural. If you visit during the week, you will see the muralists currently working on the 1960s, featuring key events such as the farmworkers’ movement, the East L.A. student walkouts, and the Chicano movement.

Discover the creation process with numerous sketches and drawings.

Judi Baca mentioned: “I dreamed of a tattoo on the scar where the river once ran and an endless narrative that would recover the stories of those who were disappeared along with the river.” (*)

Legend: Generation on Fire, 2023

(*) Source: https://www.lacma.org/art/exhibition/painting-river-angels-judy-baca-and-great-wall-0

Location: Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036

On view through June 2, 2024

POKÉMON X KOGEI | Playful Encounters of Pokémon and Japanese Craft – Japan House

Gamers and art lovers, stop by the Japan House to see the new art collaboration between Pokémon and 20 Japanese artists. This encounter resulted in 70 artworks about the famous franchise.

Artist Reiko Sudo imagined a Pikachu Forest made of yellow lace ribbons. Look closer to find the one with a different design and enjoy the light within this artistic installation.

Artist Taiichiro Yoshida used copper to illustrate Eevee’s three evolutions. He worked with pure copper and realized chemical changes to produce different colors. Only eyeballs are made with a different material, the glass cloisonné.

Location: Japan House, 6801 Hollywood Boulevard, Level 2 & Level 5  (Administrative office at Suite 205), Los Angeles, CA 90028

On view through January 7, 2024

Made in L.A. 2023: Acts of Living – Hammer Museum

New iteration of Made in L.A. at the Hammer Museum. This biennial exhibit selects and encourages local artists from the greater Los Angeles.

This year, Acts of Living regroups 39 artists and groups with a wide range of material, topics, and representations.

Acts of Living is a direct reference to artist Noah Purifoy who stated that: “Creativity can be an act of living, a way of life, and a formula for doing the right thing.” (*)

Focusing on migration, artist Jackie Amezquita mixed soil from 144 L.A. neighborhoods with masa (corn dough) and other materials to present 144 slabs. Each of them represents specific sites or life events.

Artist Ishi Glinsky presents an oversized sculpture mixing pop culture representation – the iconic mask from the blockbuster Scream – with ancestral powwow traditions.

(*) Source and more information at https://hammer.ucla.edu/exhibitions/2023/made-la-2023-acts-living

Location: Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd. Angeles, CA, 90024

On view through December 31, 2023

The Gold Emperor from Aventicum – Getty Villa Museum

The Gold Emperor from Aventicum showcases a gold bust of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (ruled AD 161-180) alongside other archeological discoveries from present-day Avenches, Switzerland.

In 1939, archeologists excavated a large bust from a religious temple in Aventicum, an ancient Roman city. In 58 B.C., General Julius Caesar conquered the region, and the Romans established Aventicum as a regional capital. They built a new city over the Helvetii settlement, a Celtic tribe who lived in the region since 100 BC.

The Helvetii became Roman citizens and adapted to Roman rules. The cultural assimilation is found in the adoption of Latin names, religion, entertainment, and the veneration of Roman rulers.

The present site of Avenches includes many structures from this mixed heritage: fortification walls, temples, baths, amphitheater, theater, and more.

More information at https://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/aurelius/

Location: Getty Villa Museum, 17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272, USA

On view through January 29, 2024

Vincent Valdez and Ry Cooder: El Chavez Ravine – LACMA

Vincent Valdez and Ry Cooder: El Chavez Ravine is the collaboration between musician Ry Cooder and painter Vincent Valdez. For his album “Chavez Ravine” (2005), Ry Cooder paid tribute to the former Chicano community from present-day Elysian Park. Vincent Valdez customized a 1953 Chevrolet ice cream truck to illustrate Cooder’s musical interpretation of this neighborhood. Together, they highlighted social injustice and gentrification in Los Angeles.

Once, El Chavez Ravine was home to the Mexican-American community. In July 1950, residents received an eviction letter from the Housing Authority of L.A. The initial public housing project was rejected, and the land was given to the Dodgers baseball franchise.

Despite property owners’ and resident’s contestation, people were expulsed, and houses were demolished to build Elysian Park, home to the Dodgers Stadium.

Source : https://www.lacma.org/art/exhibition/vincent-valdez-and-ry-cooder-el-chavez-ravine

Location: Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036

On view through August 11, 2024

Article based on my visits in November 2023

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