HammerMuseum Archives

Circa’s Cultural Agenda: LA’s Top Exhibitions to See Now

This season, LA is bursting at the seams with extraordinary new experiences for art lovers. The big news is Southern California’s landmark arts event, PST ART (previously Pacific Standard Time), returns for the first time since 2018. Many participating institutions are in the Downtown Los Angeles area, with everything from galleries to theatrical performances, and one-offs taking place between this fall and early 2025. Another event you won’t want to miss is LUMINEX, an outdoor multimedia extravaganza taking place in South Park, near Circa. And mark your calendars for the first Thursday of every month, when DTLA Art Night opens its doors to over 25 galleries.

Getty Center art exhibitions near near Circa residences in Downtown Los Angeles

PST ART: Art & Science Collide – Various locations

Southern California’s landmark arts event, PST ART (previously Pacific Standard Time), returns in September 2024 with 800+ artists, 70+ exhibitions, and 1 mind-blowing theme: Art & Science Collide. One of the most expansive art events in the world, PST ART is a Getty initiative in partnership with museums and institutions across the region. 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.

LUMINEX art exhibitions near near Circa residences in Downtown Los Angeles

LUMINEX 3.0 1105 S Olive St. Los Angeles 90015

Save the date for October 5 when LUMINEX returns for a third year, bringing art and community together in an engaging outdoor exhibition using buildings as the canvas. For one night only, free and open to all, eight multimedia artists will transform a five-block radius in the South Park District of downtown Los Angeles. Featured artists this year include JOJO ABOT, Refik Anadol, Alice Bucknell, Nao Bustamante, Petra Cortright, Marc Horowitz, Carole Kim, and Sarah Rara, as well as special installations with Los Angeles Video Artists (LAVA). Don’t forget to book your pedicab!

Abstracted Light Experimental Photography at Getty Center art exhibitions near near Circa residences in Downtown Los Angeles

Abstracted Light Experimental Photography Getty Center 1200 Getty Center Dr. Los Angeles, CA 90049

Abstract imagery incorporating experimental lighting effects was of great interest to avant-garde photographers from the 1920s to the 1950s. This exhibition features photographs by international artists devoted to the practice, including László Moholy-Nagy, Francis Bruguière, Man Ray, Tōyō Miyatake, Asahachi Kono, and Jaromír Funke. The selection of works demonstrates the dynamic interplay between still photography, experimental film, and the dazzling time-based artworks by Thomas Wilfred called “Lumia instruments.”

DTLA Art Night art exhibitions near near Circa residences in Downtown Los Angeles

DTLA ArtNight Emerging Artist Gallery 125 W 4th St. #102, Los Angeles, CA 90013

DTLA ArtNight is a cultural gathering and art walk organized monthly on first Thursdays where over 25 galleries debut new exhibitions from their fine arts collections. These collections encompass a wide array of mediums from artists across LA, the U.S. and the world. DTLA ArtNight is also an opportunity for emerging artists to display their art in participating galleries.

SCI-arc art exhibitions near near Circa residences in Downtown Los Angeles

Views of Planet City SCI-Arc 960 East 3rd St. Los Angeles, CA 90013

Is it possible to design a socially and environmentally sustainable city for seven billion people? Views of Planet City imagines what the world might look like if humanity were to reverse the urban sprawl, and its entire human population were to be housed inside a single, hyperdense megalopolis. Drawing on the ideas of pioneering scientists and futurists and projecting on the basis of already gestating technologies, Views of Planet City challenges dystopian visions of the cities of tomorrow and offers an alternative vision in which urbanization at a planetary scale is not incompatible with the safeguarding of Earth’s biodiversity.

ED RUSCHA : NOW THEN art exhibition at LACMA near near Circa residences in Downtown Los Angeles

ED RUSCHA / NOW THEN LACMA 5905 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90036

As his first comprehensive, cross-media retrospective in over 20 years, ED RUSCHA / NOW THEN traces Ruscha’s methods and familiar subjects throughout his career and underscores the many remarkable contributions he has made well beyond the boundaries of the art world. The exhibition includes his early works produced while traveling through Europe, his installations—such as the Chocolate Room and the Course of Empire presented at the Venice Biennale in 1970 and 2005, respectively—and his ceaseless photographic documentation of the streets of Los Angeles beginning in 1965.

Ai Weiwei: Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads art exhibition at LACMA near near Circa residences in Downtown Los Angeles

Ai Weiwei: Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads LACMA 5905 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90036

While you’re at LACMA, don’t miss The Zodiac Project, Ai Weiwei’s first major public sculpture. For this monumental new work, Ai has recreated the famous twelve bronze animal heads that once adorned the Zodiac Fountain in Yuan Ming Yuan, the Old Summer Palace, in Beijing. Cast around 1750, the original heads were looted by Anglo-French troops who took part in the destruction of Yuan Ming Yuan in 1860 during the Second Opium War. The heads remain a potent trigger for Chinese nationalist sentiments. Ai’s new work suggests a dialogue about the fate of art objects that exist within dynamic and sometimes volatile cultural and political settings. With his subversive wit, the artist adapts objects from the Chinese material canon going back to antiquity, twisting traditional meanings toward new purposes.

Olafur Eliasson: OPEN art exhibition at Geffen Contemporary near near Circa residences in Downtown Los Angeles

Olafur Eliasson: OPEN The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA 152 N Central Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90012

Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson (b. 1967, Copenhagen; lives and works in Berlin) presents a new site-specific installation made for The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA. In line with Eliasson’s career-long exploration of light and color, geometry, and environmental awareness, the installation playfully engages with material and immaterial qualities of the museum’s architecture. A series of large-scale optical devices designed specifically for MOCA Geffen will respond to the building itself, as well as to the ever-changing atmosphere of Los Angeles. Visitors will encounter a dazzling range of sensory experiences that harness the laws of geometric optics to address feelings and concepts of embodiment, perception, and participation.

Breath(e) art exhibition at Hammer Museum near near Circa residences in Downtown Los Angeles

Breath(e) Hammer Museum 10899 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90024

Part of Getty’s region-wide initiative PST ART: Art and Science Collide, Breath(e): Toward Climate and Social Justice considers the connections between climate change, environmental justice, and social justice through the lens of contemporary art. The indoor/outdoor exhibition brings together approximately 100 works focused on climate change by a group of intergenerational contemporary artists, scientists, and activists, addressing anthropogenic disasters such as deforestation, ocean acidification, coral reef bleaching, water pollution, extraction, and atmospheric politics.

Storm Cloud art exhibition at The Huntington near near Circa residences in Downtown Los Angeles

Storm Cloud & Growing and Knowing The Huntington 1151 Oxford Rd. San Marino, CA 91108

Art and science collide in The Huntington’s new exhibitions, on view Sept. 14, 2024–Jan. 6, 2025. “Storm Cloud: Picturing the Origins of Our Climate Crisis” and “Growing and Knowing in the Gardens of China” trace the dovetailing histories of the relationship between humans and the environment and emphasize the significant role that close observation has played in art, science, and ethics. When viewed together, provocative questions emerge about our interconnectedness with the natural world. The exhibitions are part of PST ART: Art & Science Collide, a regional event presented by Getty featuring more than 70 exhibitions and programs that explore the intersections of art and science, both past and present.

Photo Credits:

Photo #1: NOW ART LA (LUMINEX LA)

Photo #2: Getty Center

Photo #3: LUMINEX LA

Photo #4: Getty Center

Photo #5: DTLA ArtNight

Photo #6: SCI-Arc

Photo #7: LACMA

Photo #8: LACMA

Photo #9: Geffen Contemporary

Photo #10: Hammer Museum

Photo #11: The Huntington

Major Arts Organizations Offer Live Streaming & Access to Digital Archives

The Culture Beat goes on! Major arts organizations, including LA Phil, LA Opera, The Met, Hammer Museum, and The Broad, are offering free live streaming and access to their digital archives! Ordinarily, you might have to pay a hefty fee for some of these services, but in the spirit of healing through art, these institutions are throwing open their virtual doors and sharing their treasures with the world. In these unprecedented times, please consider making a donation to your favorite arts organization to keep our culture beat alive and thriving!

LA Opera@Home

Opera is bigger than just a stage – that’s why LA Opera is bringing it directly into your home. Enjoy all kinds of opera from the comfort of your couch, regardless of your previous experience or knowledge of opera. Whether it’s live Living Room Recitals, broadcasts of old performances, or how-to’s with some of your favorite artists, there are a ton of ways you can #LAOAtHome.

LA Phil At Home With Gustavo

Gustavo Dudamel has partnered with KUSC in Los Angeles and KDFC in San Francisco on a new radio show that he’s recording in his home. Tune in Tuesday-Friday at 6pm and Sunday at 7pm to hear Gustavo Dudamel’s broadcast on KUSC and KDFC, both on the air and online. You can also explore LA Phil’s archives online including videos, music, podcasts, interviews, and more.

Berlin Philharmonie Digital Concert Hall

The Berlin Philharmonie is closed for now, so they will come to you. The Digital Concert Hall is now free for everyone. Redeem the voucher code BERLINPHIL and receive free access to all concerts and films. The Philharmonie Berlin has been the musical heart of Berlin since 1963. Located at the periphery of West Berlin when it opened, it became part of the new urban center after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The distinctive tent-like shape and eye-catching bright yellow color makes it one of the city’s most beloved landmarks. The unusual architecture and innovative concert hall design initially ignited controversy, but it now serves as a model for concert halls all over the world.

The Metropolitan Opera Nightly Opera Stream

During this extraordinary time, the Met hopes to brighten the lives of their audience members even while their stage is dark. The Metropolitan Opera is offering free Nightly Opera Streams on their website – performances that show off opera at its most thrilling, thought-provoking, and uplifting. Each day, a different encore presentation from the company’s Live in HD series is available for free streaming, with each performance available for a period of 23 hours, from 7:30 p.m. EDT until 6:30 p.m. the following day. The schedule will include outstanding complete performances from the past 14 years of cinema transmissions, starring all of opera’s greatest singers.

Geffen Stayhouse

Geffen Stayhouse, presented by the Geffen Playhouse, is sharing exclusive, original content every Wednesday from some of their wonderful Geffen alumns and favorite theater artists. You can also watch full-length productions of Geffen Playhouse shows on BroadwayHD, including Long Day’s Journey Into Night, featuring Alfred Molina and Jane Kaczmarek; Thom Pain, featuring Rainn Wilson (The Office); and Benjamin Scheuer’s The Lion. And as a special treat, Benjamin is presenting an exclusive performance of “Weather the Storm” from The Lion all the way from Wales, UK, where he’s hunkering down with his family.

Hammer Museum Watch & Listen

Art has the power to transport us and to give insight into pressing cultural, political, and social questions. The Hammer’s lectures, symposia, film series, readings, and performances aim to spark meaningful encounters with art and ideas. Many of these programs were recorded and you’ll find selected highlights on their website. Find more on their YouTube channel. You can also watch interviews with Hammer artists.

The Broad From Home

While The Broad may be temporarily closed, they’re still committed to inspiring and fostering an appreciation of contemporary art. Through their new digital initiatives, they are offering ways to experience #TheBroadFromHome. Find inspiration through music, videos, poetry, and conversations (from a distance!). Check out the Infinite Drone Series, a new, contemplative way of experiencing The Broad’s most popular artwork, Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room—The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away.

GRAMMY Museum at Home

The GRAMMY Museum Exhibits at Home and Programs at Home allow you to access exhibits and watch conversations with musicians and industry professionals from their archives. The GRAMMY Museum seeks to educate and inspire all Museum visitors and members as to the enduring qualities and cultural significance of all genres of music.

LACO at Home

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s LACO AT HOME allows people everywhere to engage and listen to spellbinding performances with “America’s finest chamber orchestra” — no subscription, sign-up, or payment required. We may not be able to gather together to share music in person, but current circumstances will not prevent LACO from providing you with exquisite, enduring, personal musical experiences. LACO is happy to announce that their musicians have generously volunteered to share a wide variety of audio and video options during this time. All broadcasts can be live-streamed and streamed on-demand.

Photo credits:

Photo #1: LA Phil

Photo #2: LA Opera

Photo #3: LA Phil

Photo #4: Berlin Philharmonie

Photo #5: The Metropolitan Opera

Photo #6: Geffen Playhouse

Photo #7: Hammer Museum

Photo #8: The Broad

Photo #9: GRAMMY Museum

Photo #10: LACO

Culture Club: LA’s New Galleries & Immersive Exhibitions

This spring, LA is blooming with more than just wildflowers – new galleries, interactive exhibitions, and immersive experiences are popping up like poppies all across the Southland. Discover dazzling VR and interactive installations at the world’s first fully immersive entertainment art park. Food meets art at Audrey restaurant, which recently opened at the Hammer Museum, while The Egg House features some “eggcellent” treats to view and eat. Animal lovers will revel in awww-worthy displays devoted to our furry friends. Whatever your culture club, LA’s new galleries and immersive exhibitions are guaranteed to inspire, amuse, and entertain!

Brannon Mason Gallery 1923 S Santa Fe Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90021

Recently opened this month, Brannon Mason Gallery is a new contemporary gallery for social impact situated in a 4,500 square foot commercial space in the LA Arts District. The inaugural exhibition, CORNERSTONE, presents the U.S. debut of French photographer Etienne Rougery-Herbaut and Haitian artist Samdi, showing new works from each artist, as well as an exuberant series of collaborations the two conceived specially for this occasion. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California is the benefiting organization of the first show, with donations supporting the Immigrants’ Rights Project.

SAMSKARA Wisdome Immersive Art Park 1147 Palmetto St. Los Angeles, CA 90013

Wisdome.LA, the world’s first fully immersive entertainment art park, presents SAMSKARA, an immersive art exhibition featuring works from transformational artist Android Jones. Visitors will experience a full dome mapping projection show, microdose VR, interactive photo display, and Android Jones art gallery. Samskara is Sanskrit for the scope of experiences which we collect through our life journeys. Good samskara is driven by positive experiences and deeds, while negative samskara is the result of evil or selfish thoughts and actions. Wisdome.LA is dedicated to presenting avant-garde transformational experiences and unforgettable events in a unique multiple projection domes setup, featuring VR and 360 immersive audio and visual experiences.

Audrey at the Hammer 10899 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90024

Located within the Hammer Museum in Westwood, Audrey restaurant blends elevated and soulful cooking with a contemporary Southern California feel rooted in the region’s growing seasons. From restaurateur Soa Davies Forrest and chef Lisa Giffen, the dishes emphasize European flavors and techniques complemented by a full bar offering fresh, bright cocktails and a diverse wine list showcasing small production winemakers. The modern and inclusive space designed by architect Michael Maltzan and interiors by Fettle Design features a prominent tile installation from renowned Cuban-American artist Jorge Pardo.

The Other Art Fair The Magic Box at The Reef 1933 S Broadway Los Angeles, CA 90007

Looking for some art for your home or office? The Other Art Fair is a leading artist fair for a new generation of art buyers. Presented by world-renowned online art gallery Saatchi Art, The Other Art Fair showcases work by 140 talented independent artists with artworks starting from $150, each hand picked by a Selection Committee of art world experts. Art lovers can visit the fair with the confidence that they are buying from the very best and most promising emerging artists in a unique and immersive experience. According to Telegraph Luxury, “The Other Art Fair’s got hipster credentials, but it’s serious about nurturing talent too.”

The Egg House 708 N Croft Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90069

The Egg House is the first egg-themed pop-up space offering a multi-sensory experience, led by founder Biubiu Xu and an eggcellent team of creators, designers, and artists. With multiple rooms of immersive installations and interactive experiences, The Egg House is a house full of dreams and fantasies that saves you from the busy concrete city, and brings you a shareable fun time to spend with friends and family. Visitors can explore Instagrammable installations, interactive design, vendors with “eggcellent” egg treats, a gift shop and more.

The Bunny Museum 2605 Lake Ave. Altadena, CA 91001

Bunnies aren’t just for Easter! The Bunny Museum is a world record-holding museum dedicated to rabbits that opened to the public in 1998, Founded by Steve Lubanski and Candace Frazee, who as a couple are called Lubunnzee, The Bunny Museum tells the history of bunnies in advertising, art, entertainment, fashion, film, and everyday vernacular. Got dust bunnies in your home? Do you know what bunnies have to do with math? Have you ever heard of a rabbit plane? Have you ever eaten a Welsh Rabbit? Hop on over and find out. The Bunny Museum has 35,754 bunny objects to date.

ALERT: This museum is not recommended for pre-school children. Children are welcome, but they are not the target audience.

100 Tactile 529 N La Cienega Blvd. West Hollywood, CA 90048

100 Tactile is the first and only tactile interactive exhibition – featuring 100 boxes with unknown content inside! The audience will experience objects and symbols completely through the sense of touch, activating a different kind of awareness to the world. Complemented by supporting visual elements and music, the artwork consists of 100 individual pieces, divided into 3 sections: 1. Daily Objects 2. Materials and Texture 3. Text and Symbols. (Hand sanitizers are provided in every section).100 Tactile was conceived by Ceci M W, a conceptual artist based in New York. Ceci’s installation work frequently involves physical interactions with the audience in unexpected ways, examining psychological effects, physiological senses, or communication between humans through participation.

Dogs! A Science Tail California Science Center 700 Exposition Park Dr. Los Angeles 90037

They’re cuddly. They’re smart. We treat them like part of the family. From lovable companions to loyal protectors, dogs live and work alongside us. They can rescue us from peril, sniff out danger, or provide help to people in need. Through engaging and fun hands-on exhibits, visitors can explore the science behind the bond between humans and dogs. Find out how humans and dogs are both wired for social connection, which made it possible for dogs to nuzzle their way into human society and into our hearts. Discover dogs’ amazing senses and grab the chance to see, hear, smell, and act like a dog.

ALERT: Please note: Humans only! Service dogs that have been individually trained to work or perform tasks for a guest with a disability are welcome, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Pets, comfort animals, emotional support animals, or therapy animals are not allowed, for the safety of the Science Center’s exhibit animals.

Super Power Dogs 3D

Enhance your California Science Center experience with an immersive IMAX adventure to experience the life-saving superpowers and extraordinary bravery of some of the world’s most amazing dogs. Superpower Dogs 3D takes you on a journey around the globe to meet remarkable dogs who save lives and discover the powerful bond they share with their human partners.