Art Exhibits Not to Miss Summer 2022
Feeling stagnant or in need of an inspirational push? These art exhibitions will encourage you to view the world with a wider lense and think beyond what meets the eye.
Any form of art is a form of power; it has impact, it can affect change – it can not only move us, it makes us move. - Ossie Davis
YamahaCares Upcycled Guitar Exhibit
Type: Group Show
When: July 1 to September 24, 2022
Where: Able ARTS Work Gallery
4321 Atlantic Ave.
Long Beach, CA 90807
Open: July 1: 6:30-9:30pm,
Weekdays by appointment.
These artists are sure to strike a spark of inspiration in you at the Able ARTS Work second annual YamahaCares exhibition. This show will feature over 40 upcycled instruments including guitars, cellos, drums, and ukuleles donated by Yamaha Music USA. If you love art and music, you will not want to miss this! See how each artist transformed these instruments into beautifully, thought-out narrative pieces virtually on Instagram Live on July 1st at the exhibition opening.
[Meet Able ARTS Work Artists DJ PJ and Stephanie Monis]
Type: Solo Show
When: June 4 to July 16, 2022
Where: Luis De Jesus Los Angeles
1110 Mateo St,
Los Angeles, CA 9002
Open: Tue-Fri: 11am-6pm,
Sat: 10am-6pm
Contemporary Iraqi-American artist, Vian Sora explores themes of chaos and regeneration throughout her solo show called Subduction. Using convergent subduction zones as a metaphor for the unstable nature of her home country, Sora speaks to the ways society is capable of colliding and rebuilding - just as the earth recycles after colliding. Her work features intentional color contrasts, abstract landscapes, and androgynous figures to talk about themes of life and decay, as well as her own identity. Visit her show at Luis De Jesus Los Angeles before it ends July 16, 2022 or virtually through the gallery website .
FAST FORWARD | The Future is Queer
Type: Group Exhibition
When: June 25 to July 23, 2022
Where: Bermudez Projects
1225 Cypress Avenue, No. 1
Los Angeles, CA 90065
Open: Tue - Sat: 12pm-6pm
In the upcoming group exhibition titled FAST FORWARD: The Future is Queer, Bermudez Projects celebrates a lineup of Queer artists who share their multifaceted experiences through a spectrum of different art forms and mediums. The show will showcase artists such as Keith Haring, Devan Shimoyama, Enrique Castrejon, Ruben Espearza, Miguel Angel Reyes, Adam Chuck, and Kess Kin among many others. Owner of the Los Angeles gallery, Julian Bermudez, whose mission is to present contemporary artists of the next generation said in an interview, “With this exhibit we get to celebrate all the many facets of what it is to be queer: beauty, magic, joy, sorrow, friendships, and sex,” (“FAST FORWARD: The Future is Queer,” n.d.).
Daphne Arthur: I’ve Arrived, He Llegado
Type: Solo Show
When: June 12 to July 24, 2022
Where: Over the Influence
833 East 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA, 90013
Open: Tue - Sun: 11AM – 6PM
In I’ve Arrived, He Llegado, Daphne Arthur dances the lines of connection between time and space. She brings multiple spaces, realities, memories into her paintings through rich color and collage. Influenced by her Afro-Venezuelan background, Arthur explores how history, mythology, and memory act as catalysts for change, good or bad, in the understanding of the Black Diaspora. An innovative use of conventional material lends her canvases a feeling of richness, one as rich as the narrative she tells. Take some time to view this exhibit virtually or experience this exhibit in person at Over the Influence Los Angeles before the last day - July 24th.
Type: Solo Show
When: March 19 to August 20, 2022
Where: Art + Practice
3401 W. 43rd Place,
Los Angeles, CA 90008
Open: Tue - Sun: 12PM – 6PM
Deborah Robert’s multi-media work is centered around depictions of Black children and examines the way societal pressures, environments, and racism influence notions of identity at a fragile and vulnerable stage of life. Throughout her work, she collages found-images of projected beauty standards on top of hand-painted portraits. The stark contrast of styles asks audiences to view her work with a critical eye and question how race, identity, and beauty are seen in America. Robert’s powerful solo exhibition I’m will be on display at Art + Practice LA until August 20, 2022 and is available to view online.
*insert photo 5 here*
Photo 5 credit: Time Out/Michael Juliano
(link: https://www.timeout.com/los-angeles/art/barbara-kruger-thinking-of-you-i-mean-me-i-mean-you)
Barbara Kruger: Thinking of You. I Mean Me. I Mean You.
Type: Solo Show
When: March 20 to July 17, 2022
Where: Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
5905 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Open: Mon - Tue, Thurs: 11AM – 6PM
Fri: 11AM - 8PM
Sat - Sun: 10AM - 7PM
Known for her provocative, direct, and authoritative voice when addressing pop-culture and consumerism, Barbara Kruger does not disappoint in her solo exhibition: Thinking of You. Think of Me. I Mean You. This retrospective exhibit features 4 decades worth of Kruger’s work, some old, some new, and some reinvented to stay relevant today. When visiting this exhibit, you will be asked to think about the world around you, our place in it, and our relations with others. View it in person at the LACMA or online, hosted by Art Institute of Chicago which was the previous location of the installation.
Whether experienced online or in-person, we hope this list of both in-person and virtual exhibits opens your mind to new thoughts, ideas, and inspire you to move. Follow us on Instagram @ableartslearnforlife for updates on exhibitions and workshops!
Gabby Gobaton is the Marketing and Arts Administration Intern with Able ARTS Work and is currently studying Graphic Design at California State University, Long Beach. This internship is sponsored by the Los Angeles County Department of Arts & Culture through their arts internship program.
