California Light and Space (The 21st Century Version)

Seventeen Los Angeles artists working across painting, sculpture, photography, and installation explore light, space, and the city's distinctive vernacular in a contemporary reckoning with 1960s Light

Why go

Organized by curator Helen Molesworth, the exhibition reframes the legacy of California's Light and Space movement through artists deeply embedded in LA's neighborhoods—from South Central to Hollywood Boulevard—capturing the city's smog-filtered sunlight, hand-painted storefronts, and specific geographic character rather than minimalist abstraction

What to expect

Paintings, sculptures, photographs, ceramics, and video installations across multiple mediums. Key works include Catherine Opie's multi-part sunscape and moonscape photographs from a Hollywood high-rise, EJ Hill's vibrant acrylic canvases evoking wildflowers and clouds, Lauren Halsey's gold-leaf mixed-media plaza signs, and Cauleen Smith's video an

Things to know

• Organized by curator Helen Molesworth, who has shaped major contemporary exhibitions.
• Features 17 artists including Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Noah Davis, Jennifer Guidi, Catherine Opie, and Lari Pittman.
• Curator emphasizes artists' engagement with LA vernacular—hand-painted signs, murals, and street culture—over minimalist aesthetics.
• Exhibition uses the wine term 'terroir' to describe how LA's geography and ecosystem shape artistic practice.
• Noah Davis's work references Pueblo del Rio, a 1941 public housing project designed by Richard Neutra and Paul Williams.
• Includes works addressing specific LA neighborhoods: El Sereno, Compton Creek, Chavez Ravine, and Hollywood Boulevard.

Plan your visit

Opening reception Thursday, June 4, 6–8 PM. Exhibition runs June 4–August 1, 2026. Located at David Zwirner's 606 N Western Avenue space in Los Angeles.