Hammer Museum at UCLA announces 32 artists for ‘Made in L.A. 2018’
The biennial exhibition features 9 UCLA alumni and begins June 3, running through Sept. 2
Made in L.A. 2018 is the fourth iteration of the Hammer’s biennial exhibition, continuing to highlight the practices of artists working throughout Los Angeles and the surrounding areas. This year's lineup includes ten alumni from the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture, representing more than 25 percent of the artists selected. The exhibition is organized by Hammer curators Anne Ellegood and Erin Christovale. The exhibition will be accompanied by a comprehensive catalogue, as well as a full roster of free public programming. Refer to the UCLA Arts Calendar for the full listing of events and exhibitions at the Hammer Museum and across the School.
"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.
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
— Nancy Lee, Feb. 13, 2018
- Carmen Argote (b. 1981, Guadalajara, Mexico), UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture Department of Art, BA ’04 MFA ’07
- 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.) UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture Department of Art, BA '97
- 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), UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture Department of Art, MFA '16
- 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), UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture Department of Art, MFA '13
- Naotaka Hiro (b. 1972, Osaka, Japan), UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture Department of Art, BA '97
- John Houck (b. 1977, Pine Ridge, S.D.), UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture Department of Design Media Arts, MFA '07
- 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), UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture Department of Art, MFA '06
- taisha paggett (b. 1976, Fresno, CA), UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance, MFA '08
- Christina Quarles (b. 1985, Chicago, IL)
- Michael Queenland (b. 1970, Pasadena, CA), UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture Department of Art, MFA '02
- Patrick Staff (b. 1987, Bognor Regis, UK)
- Linda Stark (b. 1956, San Diego, CA)
- Flora Wiegmann (b. 1976, Lincoln, NE), UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance, MFA '07
- Suné Woods (b. 1975, Montréal, Canada)
- Rosha Yaghmai (b. 1979, Santa Monica, CA)
This was originally published on the UCLA Newsroom website.
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