Culture Vibe: LA Exhibitions & Immersive Shows to See Now
LA is a visual feast this season, with must-see exhibitions, multi-media shows, and immersive experiences as richly diverse as our city itself. So if you’re craving a culture vibe, you’ll find plenty of inspiration near The Pearl.
May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a citywide celebration that honors the cultures of the AAPI community, and the generations of AAPIs who have helped make Los Angeles one of the most diverse cities in the world. Discover highlights of the numerous AAPI cultural exhibits, film screenings, live performances, and virtual activities taking place in Los Angeles throughout the month.
A Garden of Words: The Calligraphy of Liu Fang Yuan
The Huntington
1151 Oxford Rd.
San Marino, CA 91108
Celebrating the opening of the final phase of its Chinese Garden, The Huntington presents an exhibition of contemporary Chinese calligraphy in the garden’s new art gallery, the Studio for Lodging the Mind. The exhibition, designed to illuminate the art form and foster deeper appreciation of its expressive qualities, features the work of 21 contemporary ink artists. While you’re there, take some time to stroll among the garden’s beautiful flowers, ponds, bridges, and charming buildings.
THE LUME Los Angeles
Magic Box LA
1933 South Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90007
Street Art Alive is a multi-sensory journey that brings to life the world and story of street art. Featuring the work of over 200 street artists, Street Art Alive takes visitors on a journey through laneways and streets of more than 20 cities synonymous with street art, including New York, London, São Paulo, Melbourne and Berlin. Artists include D*Face, Lady Pink, Blek le Rat, 8 sections of the Berlin Wall, and much more.
Ace Mission Studios
524-550 S Mission Rd.
Los Angeles, CA 90033
A Forest for the Trees is an immersive show created and directed by visionary artist Glenn Kaino that will inspire audiences to reimagine their relationship with the natural world. Experience a journey through a surreal forest of magic, music, and wonder – with animatronic performing trees, captivating illusions of fire that you can control with your hands, and interactive sound sculptures, all hidden within a 28,000-square-foot space in downtown Los Angeles. The project is an ambitious artistic response to The Atlantic magazine’s extensive writings that have shaped American attitudes toward nature for more than a century.
Geffen Contemporary at MOCA
152 N Central Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Pipilotti Rist: Big Heartedness, Be My Neighbor is the first West Coast survey of the internationally renowned Swiss media artist. Rist’s installations explore relationships of video and the body; exterior environments and interior psychological landscapes; and reason and instinct, and exuberantly probe the video medium’s capaciousness – for vivid color; sweeping views and extreme close-ups; introspection and cultural critique; and, importantly, the creation of shared experiences within the space of the museum.
The Broad
221 S Grand Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Two of Yayoi Kusama’s groundbreaking Infinity Mirror Rooms have reopened to the public. Kusama’s Longing for Eternity (2017) currently is on view. Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away (2013) is open with reservations required in advance. Born and raised in Japan, Yayoi Kusama has consistently created artwork about repetition and the concept of infinity. In 1965, Kusama produced her first Infinity Mirror Room, creating the illusion of infinite space using mirrors. Since then, Kusama has made more than twenty unique rooms.
Angkor: The Lost Empire of Cambodia
California Science Center
700 Exposition Park Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90037
The California Science Center proudly presents the world premiere of Angkor: The Lost Empire of Cambodia – an international touring exhibition featuring over 120 ancient artifacts, half of which are on tour for the first time. Journey back 900 years to discover engineering and cultural marvels and daily life in the Khmer empire. Visit the exhibition and see the immersive IMAX movie Angkor 3D – a visually stunning IMAX adventure where science and mystery intersect on a 7-story screen.
Lighthouse Artspace
6400 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Explore the world through the eyes of the legendary Frida Kahlo – a brilliant, uncompromising painter who created some of the history’s most iconic artwork. As you stroll through the Lighthouse Immersive gallery, you will see the Mexico-born artist’s work come to life on a grand scale and discover the people, events, and obstacles that made her the extraordinary woman she was. The mesmerizing, large-scale projections, accompanied by a ravishing musical score, will sweep you up as you encounter Frida as never before. Frida Kahlo’s art is not only beautiful on an aesthetic level; it has also become a universal symbol of resilience and perseverance.
Natural History Museum
900 W Exposition Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90007
Before it was the vibrant city we know, Los Angeles was underwater for over 90 million years. Dive into this multimedia-rich, immersive exhibition and discover L.A.’s prehistoric past through the stories of nearly 40 fossils that are uncovering the secrets of our submerged prehistory. Many of these fossils were found by everyday Angelenos – from construction workers unearthing over 2,000 fish fossils while working on the Metro line to museum neighbors discovering a whale skull while digging an irrigation ditch in Lincoln Heights.
Claude Monet: The Immersive Experience
1345 N Montebello Blvd.
Montebello, CA 90640
Claude Monet: The Immersive Experience is a 20,000 square foot light and sound spectacular featuring two-story projections of the artist’s most compelling works. Encounter the brilliance of one of history’s greatest artists in 360 degrees. The exhibition features a one of kind Virtual Reality component, which guides you on a ten-minute journey through “A day in the life of the Artist.” Walk alongside Monet during this peaceful, visually rich journey to discover the inspiration behind eight of his iconic works.
Photo Credits:
Photo #1: Street Art Alive/THE LUME Los Angeles
Photo #2: Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs
Photo #3: The Huntington
Photo #4: THE LUME Los Angeles
Photo #5: A Forest for the Trees
Photo #6: Geffen Contemporary at MOCA
Photo #7: The Broad
Photo #8: California Science Center
Photo #9: Immersive Frida Kahlo
Photo #10: Natural History Museum
Photo #11: Claude Monet: The Immersive Experience