The Hammer Museum at UCLA announced today the 32 artists participating in the upcoming “Made in L.A. 2018,” the fourth iteration of the Hammer’s biennial exhibition highlighting the practices of artists working throughout the greater Los Angeles area, with a primary focus on emerging artists. Organized by Hammer senior curator Anne Ellegood and the recently appointed assistant curator Erin Christovale, the exhibition is on view June 3–Sept. 2.

“Every Made in L.A. offers a distinct vision of the innovative work created by artists in Los Angeles,” said Hammer Museum director Ann Philbin. “Made in L.A. 2018 underscores that Los Angeles is a uniquely creative nexus where artists from all over the world connect across generations, disciplines, and backgrounds.”

Among the artists included in Made in L.A. 2018 and their works, there are shared interests and areas of exploration. Reflecting on the current political climate, the body — and the social, physiological and psychological pressures put upon it — is a frequent theme, as is the desire for community and a sense of place rooted in the local. Relating to histories and geographies of the Los Angeles region, the relationship of ritual and ceremony to ancient forms of knowledge and how they can be re-imagined in the present is another shared concern among several of the artists, as is the desire to create visibility through varying forms of representation for those who have historically been marginalized.

Hammer Museum
 

Considerations of the landscape, changes brought on by climate change, and the relationship between the land, capitalist expansion, and violence are also shared preoccupations. While the exhibition is not overtly political, it is inevitably informed by the dramatic shifts in our country since the 2016 election and how they impact the contemporary landscape and culture of California. Made in L.A. 2018 presents a diverse group of artists who are deeply engaged with vital aspects of our culture today and believe in art’s capacity to engage social discourse.

After making more than 200 studio visits, as well as visiting numerous gallery and museum exhibitions during their research, the curators selected 32 artists who represent a cross-section of Los Angeles. Made in L.A. 2018 features newly commissioned works from artists who recently received their M.F.A.s, including Nikita Gale and Christina Quarles, to continued investigations of multiyear projects by artists like Carolina Caycedo and Alison O’Daniel, as well as selected bodies of work from mid-career artists such as James Benning, Daniel Joseph Martinez and Linda Stark. The works span a broad range of mediums including textiles, performance, painting, video, sculpture, assemblage, photography and installation.

PARTICIPANTS

  • Carmen Argote (b. 1981, Guadalajara, Mexico)
  • James Benning (b. 1942, Milwaukee, WI)
  • Diedrick Brackens (b. 1989, Mexia, TX)
  • Carolina Caycedo (b. 1978, London, U.K.)
  • Neha Choksi (b. 1973, Belleville, N.J.)
  • Beatriz Cortez (b. 1970, San Salvador, El Salvador)
  • Mercedes Dorame (b. 1981, Los Angeles, CA)
  • Celeste Dupuy-Spencer (b. 1979, New York, N.Y.)
  • Aaron Fowler (b. 1988, St. Louis, MO)
  • Nikita Gale (b. 1983, Anchorage, AK)
  • Jade Gordon (b. 1975, Santa Rosa, CA) and
    Megan Whitmarsh (b. 1972, Cambridge, MA)
  • Lauren Halsey (b. 1987, Los Angeles, CA)
  • EJ Hill (b. 1985, Los Angeles, CA)
  • Naotaka Hiro (b. 1972, Osaka, Japan)
  • John Houck (b. 1977, Pine Ridge, S.D.)
  • Luchita Hurtado (b. 1920, Caracas, Venezuela)
  • Gelare Khoshgozaran (b. 1986, Tehran, Iran)
  • Candice Lin (b. 1979, Concord, MA)
  • Charles Long (b. 1958, Long Branch, N.J.)
  • Nancy Lupo (b. 1983, Flagstaff, AZ)
  • Daniel Joseph Martinez (b. 1957, Los Angeles, CA)
  • MPA (b. 1980, Redding, CA)
  • Alison O’Daniel (b. 1979, Miami, FL)
  • Eamon Ore-Giron (b. 1973, Tuscon, AZ)
  • taisha paggett (b. 1976, Fresno, CA)
  • Christina Quarles (b. 1985, Chicago, IL)
  • Michael Queenland (b. 1970, Pasadena, CA)
  • Patrick Staff (b. 1987, Bognor Regis, UK)
  • Linda Stark (b. 1956, San Diego, CA)
  • Flora Wiegmann (b. 1976, Lincoln, NE)
  • Suné Woods (b. 1975, Montréal, Canada)
  • Rosha Yaghmai (b. 1979, Santa Monica, CA)

MOHN AWARDS

Funded through the generosity of Los Angeles philanthropists and art collectors Jarl and Pamela Mohn, the Mohn Award ($100,000) and the Career Achievement Award ($25,000) will be selected by a professional jury, and the Public Recognition Award ($25,000) will be determined through a public vote. All the artists in the exhibition are eligible to receive the awards. In 2016 dancer Adam Linder, who choreographed and performed Kein Paradiso, received the Mohn Award; Wadado Leo Smith received the Career Achievement Award; and Kenzi Shiokava received the Public Recognition Award. In 2014 Alice Könitz received the Mohn Award, and Meleko Mokgosi received it in 2012.

CATALOGUE

Made in L.A. 2018 is accompanied by a fully-illustrated catalogue that includes an introduction by the curators, 32 artist entries, and a roundtable with curators, artists, scholars, and writers, including Anne Ellegood and Erin Christovale, as well Jennifer Doyle, Rafa Esparza, Naima Keith, and Lauren Mackler. The catalogue also includes a short essay by renowned writer and educator Tisa Bryant, and is designed by Los Angeles-based designers Commonwealth Projects.