Conversing in Clay: Ceramics from the LACMA Collection | Through May 21

One of the earliest and best-preserved areas of artistic production across the globe, ceramics remain a vital field of expression and experimentation into the present. Conversing in Clay: Ceramics from the LACMA Collection explores the medium through 14 case studies, placing historical works in visual dialogue with contemporary examples to illuminate symbolic meanings, technical achievements, and resonances throughout time. The exhibition examines how artists working today relate to international artistic traditions of the medium, both through deliberate references to the past and by engaging with aspects of clay’s materiality that have inspired makers over the centuries. Drawing from LACMA’s wide-ranging collections, the exhibition also highlights many recent contemporary acquisitions, including works by Nicholas Galanin, Steven Young Lee, Courtney Leonard, Roberto Lugo, Mineo Mizuno, Elyse Pignolet, Paul Scott, and more.

Yassi Mazandi: Language of the Birds | Through Jun 19

A kinetic sculptural work by Yassi Mazandi, Language of the Birds takes its name and theme from an epic 12th-century Persian poem by Farid al-Din ‘Attar, a parable about a mystical quest for God, a spiritual home, or even our own highest good. The mission is undertaken by 100 birds seeking a worldly ruler—the mythical Simurgh. Many birds perish along the way until 30 remain, only to realize they themselves are the Simurgh (literally “30 birds” in Persian). The stark, abstract bronze sculptures are suspended from the north side of the Resnick Pavilion. Stripped of feathers, Mazandi’s dramatic birds evoke ‘Attar’s powerful mystical poem universalizing the quest for meaning. They also call to mind today’s key issue—climate change—and the ways in which it imperils many avian species and contributes to human migration, often accompanied by dangerous journeys and inhospitable reception.

Afro-Atlantic Histories | Through Sep 10

Afro-Atlantic Histories charts the transatlantic slave trade and its legacies in the African diaspora. Through a series of dialogues across time, the exhibition features artworks produced in Africa, Europe, and the Americas in the last four centuries to reexamine—from a global perspective—histories and stories of enslavement, resilience, and the struggle for liberation.

The exhibition is organized around six groupings: Maps and Margins, Enslavements and Emancipations, Everyday Lives, Rites and Rhythms, Portraits, and Resistances and Activism. Each section considers the critical impact of the African diaspora reflected in historic and contemporary artworks.

Histórias Afro-Atlânticas originated at the Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand  (MASP) and the Instituto Tomie Ohtake in Brazil, in 2018. Touring venues in the U.S. include the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the National Gallery of Art, and the Dallas Museum of Art. This is the only presentation on the West Coast.

Wed, Mar 15 | 7–8:30 pm | Charles White Elementary School | FREE, RSVP suggested

Join LACMA for a Pressing Politics–inspired poetry reading and learn about art created during times of civil unrest in Mexico and Germany. Participating poets include féi hernandez, Joseph Rios, Matthew Cuban, and Jasmine Williams.

This volume provides a broad perspective on the group’s work, positioning it within the history of modern painting and 20th-century American art.

$60 | Members $54