Faculty Spotlight: Winter 2026
The creative and scholarly contributions of the UCLA Arts community mine the complexities of the human condition, ask essential questions of our time, and expand the potential of creativity. Read more for a list of recent accolades, exhibitions, publications, special projects, and more.
Exhibitions, Workshops, and a Coachella Installation
Installation view of Levers Long Enough to Move the World, on view now at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. (Ashley Grey)
Kutan Ayata, Neil Denari, Benjamin Freyinger M.Arch. '05, and Georgina Huljich M.Arch. '03—all faculty in the UCLA Department of Architecture and Urban Design—are included in Levers Long Enough to Move the World, an exhibition at the Pratt Institute School of Architecture curated by Andrew Holder M.Arch. '05. The exhibition’s title draws from a quote by Archimedes: “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.” The exhibition offers an intimate look into the drawing pads and sketchbooks of leading designers, providing a rare glimpse into their creative processes.
Core Samples is on view through Tuesday, June 30.
Samaa Elimam and Michael Osman, faculty in the department of architecture and urban design, curated the exhibition Core Samples at UCLA’s Perloff Hall, which brings to light decades of previously unseen work and media drawn from AUD’s archives. Opening Thursday, March 12, the exhibition assembles materials that demonstrate both the volume and variety of how design has been recorded, stored, and preserved at AUD over the past six decades, offering a rare, tactile view into the department’s illustrious history.
Yara Fegahli, lecturer in the department of architecture and urban design, had an interactive work on view at Oslo's National Museum as part of Orienting Desires. This two-day symposium was dedicated to fostering cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary dialogue on queer histories, decolonial archives, ornamental aesthetics, and digital futures. Fegahli’s game, Be.Longing XR, was part of the symposium’s interactive, digital art arcade and is a filmic road diary seen through the eyes of Amal, an immigrant woman from Beirut who just landed in Los Angeles.
Carmen de Monteflores—mother of Andrea Fraser—abandoned her art practice after facing rejections from museums and galleries. Pictured here is de Monteflores’ work Four Women. (Philip Maisel)
Andrea Fraser, professor in the department of art, and her mother, Carmen de Monteflores, are featured in the Whitney Biennial 2026 at the Whitney Museum of American Art. The eighty-second edition of the Whitney Biennial—the longest-running survey of contemporary art in the United States—features work by 56 artists, duos, and collectives. Fraser and de Monteflores’ inclusion has been covered by the New York Times.
Benjamin Freyinger M.Arch. '05, lecturer in the department of architecture and urban design, is co-principal and co-founder of The Los Angeles Design Group (LADG) with Andrew Holder M.Arch. '05. The studio has been commissioned to create a large-scale installation for the 2026 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Titled Visage Brut, the project reimagines the logic and mythology of a totem pole through contemporary construction. The soaring steel tower is composed of modular boxes—each folded, rolled, cut, or warped just short of structural failure. The result is a vertical procession of hybrid geometries that both perform the physical labor of holding up the weight above and project an uncanny, almost figurative presence.
Koerner works on 3D printing design techniques in the creation of sustainable architecture, fashion and other products. (Joice Ngo / Daily Bruin)
Julia Koerner, associate adjunct professor in the department of architecture and urban design, is featured in the upcoming exhibition Tomorrow’s Wardrobe at Oulu Art Museum in Finland. This international exhibition explores and paves the way for the future of fashion. Showcasing the creative work of fashion designers in a multidimensional way, it challenges and redefines the boundaries of fashion. Koerner was also recently interviewed by the Daily Bruin about her work with 3D printing and participated in the panel discussion “Sustainability Engagements that Change the World: Case Studies from Europe to California.”
Marks' artistic practice centers on people and their relationships, which she considers her true medium.
Victoria Marks, professor in the department of world arts and cultures/dance, recently completed a series of workshops as part of her role as the Culver City Artist Laureate. Every Sunday in February, Marks led afternoon community workshops at Culver West Alexander Park Recreation Center. These welcoming, low-pressure sessions invited participants of all experience levels to move together, enjoy music, and build relationships in a joyful, supportive environment.
McCarthy situates technology firmly within the intimacy of relationships and within the domestic space with LAUREN: Anyone Home?, an installation that imagines a futuristic home. (Courtesy of the artist)
Lauren Lee McCarthy M.F.A. '11, professor in the department of design media arts and co-director of UCLA Social Software, has an installation, LAUREN: Anyone Home?, as part of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) exhibition Technologies of Relation. It will activate daily from noon to 3 p.m. and will also be featured at Bildmuseet Umeå in Sweden as part of the exhibition AI and the Paradox of Agency, which will be on view from March 13 through January 17, 2026.
Vikram previously co-curated the PST ART: Art & Science Collide exhibition Atmosphere of Sound for the UCLA Art|Sci Center.
Anuradha Vikram, continuing lecturer in the department of art, alongside Leon J. Hilton, was recently appointed associate curator for High Performance: A 2-Year Conference, a multi-year initiative exploring the legacy and impact of High Performance magazine. As associate curators, Vikram and Hilton will help shape the initiative’s curatorial vision, research, and programming through the end of 2027. Vikram will oversee programming in Southern California and along the West Coast, while Hilton will lead national and international initiatives.
Publications
The cover for The Oxford Handbook of Indian Dance, available now by Oxford University Press.
Anurima Banerji, associate professor in the department of world arts and cultures/dance, co-edited The Oxford Handbook of Indian Dance with Prarthana Purkayastha, published by Oxford University Press. The first book of its kind on the title subject in terms of scale and scope, the volume includes 38 original essays that together comprise novel research on critical Indian dance studies in a transnational frame. The book includes contributions from world arts and cultures/dance faculty, including Janet O'Shea, UCLA Arts Interim Dean Lionel Popkin, and Aparna Sharma.
The cover for Hodgetts' Reading Design.
Craig Hodgetts, professor emeritus in the department of architecture and urban design, has authored Reading Design: The Visual Language of Common Objects, published by Unicorn Publishing Group. In Reading Design, Hodgetts sorts through the myriad of things that surround us with an eye trained by years of teaching at UCLA. Hodgetts has been immersed in the selection and appreciation of objects that are not only outstanding examples of contemporary design, but that exude an emotional connection to evolving lifestyles. Consisting of over two hundred hand drawn sketches illuminating themes and bold departures from the norm, this book can change the way we look at things.
Elena Phipps, lecturer in the department of world arts and cultures/dance, recently completed some publications including "Andean Traditions in the Making of Discontinuous Warp (and Weft) Textiles” for the Textile Museum Journal and “History of Silk in the Indigenous Cultures of Mexico” for Proceedings of the [re]Think Silk Colloquium from the Cotsen Textile Traces Study Center. Philpps was also the keynote speaker for the opening of the exhibition Aymara Weavings: The Indigenous Andes at the St. Louis Art Museum. She lectured at the museum on the art of textiles and some of the ways in which they have been made and used—from the early cultures of Chavín, Paracas, and Wari to the later Inka and Aymara peoples.
Seu’s book is a financial experiment of redistribution. In it, readers will find citations by 45 people. When you buy the book, they will split 30% of profits through “Citational Splits”—a new model of attribution. (Tim Schutsky)
Mindy Seu '13, associate professor in the department of design media arts, published A Sexual History of the Internet, which proposes a different kind of archive: one that maps how bodies, desires, technologies, and systems of power have been entangled since the earliest days of our beloved web. Rather than frame this research through a traditional academic text or media theory, Seu retools the publishing format entirely, intentionally delivering the project as part performance, part artist book, and part financial experiment. Taken together, these components challenge the sanitized narratives that have long defined internet history.
Wendy Sung, assistant professor in the department of world arts and cultures/dance, published "Identification Error" in Limn on Asian faciality and facial recognition technologies. Limn is an experiment in collaborative inquiry. Published in print and open-access online editions, the journal gathers scholars, artists, and activists to illuminate—or limn—problems emerging at the interface of technology, politics, and contemporary life. Last fall, Sung delivered a talk on this material at the University of Minnesota and will be expanding this research with a talk at the University of British Columbia this month.
Awards, Fellowships, and Honors
In the verdant Hudson Valley in New York sits FORMA’s “House on a Hill.” (Devon Banks)
Miroslava Brooks, assistant professor in the department of architecture and urban design, and her studio FORMA, founded alongside Daniel Markiewicz, were included in The Architect’s Newspaper’s second edition of their Twenty to Watch list. This list recognizes rising residential architecture design talent in New York. These designer-led practices all share the trait of delivering impressive domestic spaces—from tight apartment tweaks to freestanding homes outside the city.
A portrait of Hedva. (Courtesy of the artist)
Johanna Hedva '10, lecturer in the department of art, has been named a recipient of a 2026 United States Artist Fellowship. Founded in 2006, United States Artists supports artists and their essential role in society by providing unrestricted funding, tailored professional services, and advocacy that strengthens the nation’s cultural ecosystem. This spring, Hedva is also serving as composer-in-residence at Casa Mahler in Spoleto, Italy, working alongside opera director George R. Miller to develop a multidisciplinary performance for both theater and exhibition spaces. In addition, Hedva was ranked #54 on ArtReview’s Power 100 for 2025, the annual list recognizing the most influential figures in the contemporary art world.
Victory Wellness Center transforms a one-story truss warehouse into a 42,000-square-foot wellness minicampus, without expanding the footprint or overall height. (Paul Vu)
Georgina Huljich M.Arch. '03, professor in the department of architecture and urban design, and her firm, PATTERNS, were recognized by The Architect’s Newspaper with a 2025 Best of Design Award, which was inaugurated 13 years ago as a way to honor the impactful and meaningful work of architects and designers. Since then the program has blossomed as a way to not only give props to some of the thankless work of the community, but also as a way to survey the built environment. Huljich and PATTERNS were recognized for the Victory Wellness Center in North Hollywood, Calif. The project transformed a mid-century bowstring truss warehouse into a modern medical facility.
Tarrah Krajnak, associate professor in the department of art, will be recognized with a Photographic Art and New Media Award from the 42nd annual International Center of Photography (ICP) Infinity Awards on Tuesday, April 28. Since 1985, the ICP Infinity Awards have recognized major contributions and emerging talent in the fields of photojournalism, art, fashion photography, and publishing. Krajnak also has a solo exhibition, RePose ExPose CounterPose, currently on view through May 17 at A Fondation in Brussels, Belgium. This retrospective exhibition presents an artistic vision that extends from the personal to the political, from first-person narrative to collective demand.
Casey Reas, professor in the department of design media arts and co-director of UCLA Social Software, is currently a Smithsonian Artist Research Fellow. This program provides visual artists from across the world the opportunity to work with Smithsonian museums, research sites, collections, and scholars in self-directed research leading to the creation of new artwork. At the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Reas will examine how artists, designers, scientists and engineers use diagrams to communicate and define their ideas, and he will develop new visual scores encoded in performative software artworks.
Dance Camera West originally planned to honor Roussève in 2024, but that program was canceled due to the devastating wildfires that swept through the city. (Rose Eichenbaum)
David Roussève, research professor in the department of world arts and cultures/dance, was honored with a gala tribute at this year’s Dance Camera West. Since 2000, Dance Camera West has been a platform for dance films that push the boundaries of dance and cinema. They aim to bridge the vibrant Los Angeles film community with the rich and diverse world of dance. The gala, which took place on the Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz stage, included surprise guests, performances, and announcements.
Vesna (right) pictured with Meme Omogbai (center), the executive director of CAA, and Ellen Levy (left), artist and past president of CAA.
Victoria Vesna, professor in the department of design media arts and director of the UCLA ArtSci Center, was awarded the 2026 Distinguished Teaching of Art Award from the College Art Association of America (CAA). Established in 1972, this award is presented to an individual who has been actively engaged in teaching art for most of their career, including artists such as Josef Albers, Tony Smith, Hans Haacke, Philip Guston, Margaret Lovejoy, and more. For over two decades, Vesna has developed transdisciplinary courses bridging art and science, engaging students across disciplines—from the arts to STEM fields.
Interviews
Art21 is first series on television in the U.S. to focus exclusively on contemporary visual art and artists
Candice Lin, associate professor in the department of art, is the subject of an Art21 documentary. From her Los Angeles studio to museums and galleries worldwide, Lin creates works of art that steam and bubble, emit pungent odors, and invite touch and embodied exploration. Through multi-sensory sculptural installations, the artist crafts fantastical fictions that are grounded in rigorous research. This Art21 documentary follows the artist down the myriad rabbit holes of her practice, revealing how she incorporates materials with deep historical resonances to complicate official narratives.
Zuckerman-Hartung’s Scarification. Deadhead. Transplant. Harden off. (Courtesy of the artist)
Molly Zuckerman-Hartung, associate professor in the department of art, discussed working within abstraction, its relationship to generosity and refusal, and time and taste with Rebecca Morris, professor in the department of art, for BOMB Magazine. This year, her work was included in the Corbett vs Dempsey’s booth at Felix Art Fair and CANADA gallery’s booth at Frieze Art Fair. For Artillery Magazine, Zuckerman-Hartung and Deirdre O’Dwyer produced an Artist Takeover. Lastly, she will be the keynote speaker in a “Painters Huddle” on March 25, 2026, at the Neubauer Collegium at University of Chicago, on the occasion of Fredrik Værslev’s exhibition The Joy of Painting.
Special Projects
Anadol says he is making “ethical AI” the linchpin of his practice. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Refik Anadol M.F.A. ‘14, lecturer in the department of design media arts, is poised to open Dataland, the world’s first museum of AI arts, inside the Frank Gehry-designed Grand L.A. complex in downtown Los Angeles this spring. Anadol unveiled a sneak peak at the Infinity Room, one of the museum’s five discrete galleries. The immersive room features Anadol’s distinct swirling colors and images and will be infused with AI-generated scents, creating a multisensory experience powered by its very own AI model, called the Large Nature Model.
A prefab home is lowered by crane into place in Altadena for cityLAB-UCLA's prefabricated housing showcase. (David Esquivel / UCLA)
Dana Cuff, distinguished professor in the department of architecture and urban design, and her research center, cityLAB-UCLA, have been lending their expertise to ongoing Los Angeles fire recovery efforts. Following the devastating Eaton Fires, they hosted a prefabricated housing showcase in Altadena, bringing together designers, policymakers, and community members to explore rapid, affordable housing solutions for those displaced by the disaster. The cityLAB-UCLA team also produced an exhibition in Altadena that wove together more than a century of Black history through archival research, oral histories, and family photographs.
Header image: A sign showing prefab housing in Altadena. (David Esquivel / UCLA)
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