The group exhibition "Desperate, Scared, But Social" at the UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art (Langson IMCA) explores the complexities of contemporary social dynamics and collective anxiety. The show brings together diverse artistic perspectives to examine how individuals navigate a landscape defined by political instability, environmental concerns, and the pervasive influence of digital connectivity.
The article focuses on the curatorial approach and artistic ethos of the 2025 edition of the 'Made in L.A.' biennial, highlighting how artists are actively engaging with pressing social and political issues rather than retreating into quietism or abstraction. It examines specific works and the overall thematic drive of the exhibition, which is organized by the Hammer Museum and the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.
The article is an interview with artist Kelly Wall, conducted by Olivia Gauthier, published in the February 2026 issue of Contemporary Art Review LA. It appears within a broader issue exploring themes like scent in art, tarot, and social urgencies in contemporary practice.
Artist Victoria Dugger has launched her third solo exhibition, "Freak Flags," at Sargent’s Daughters in New York. The show features six mixed-media works that reimagine the American flag through a maximalist, Southern Gothic lens, utilizing materials like gingham, glitter, nipple tassels, and barbed wire. Drawing inspiration from Jasper Johns’s iconic flag paintings, Dugger’s versions replace traditional colors with hot pinks and bright greens, with several displayed upside down to signal national distress.
A New York jury has awarded $102.2 million in damages to the Morgan Art Foundation in a long-running copyright and forgery case against art publisher Michael McKenzie. The jury found that McKenzie created unauthorized and altered versions of works by Pop artist Robert Indiana, including multiple iterations of Indiana's iconic LOVE prints and sculptures, as well as works such as *The Ninth American Dream* (2001), *USA FUN* (1965), and a sculpture titled *BRAT*. The lawsuit, which began in 2018 shortly before Indiana's death at age 89, alleged that McKenzie and others sought to isolate the artist and profit from selling forged works. McKenzie's lawyer indicated he may appeal.
Cady Noland, the reclusive American sculptor known for her critical works on the American dream, will open a major exhibition of new work at Gagosian’s 24th Street gallery in Chelsea on September 10, running through October 18. The show marks her first major New York gallery presentation in over two decades and will feature new pieces alongside paintings by the late Steven Parrino. The exhibition follows a gradual return to the art world that began with a small show at Galerie Buchholz in 2021 and a survey at Glenstone in 2024. A new book, *Cady Noland: Polaroids 1986–2024*, will be published concurrently.
Artist Yvette Mayorga will unveil her largest public artwork, "Magic Grasshopper," in New York's Times Square in October. The 30-foot sculpture features a pink Baroque carriage with gold-rimmed wheels, drawn by four carousel horses wearing Hello Kitty backpacks, and is covered in Mayorga's signature faux frosting piped from pastry bags. The work draws on the artist's Mexican-American heritage, incorporating references to low-rider culture, the royal carriage of the Second Mexican Empire, and the Nahuatl origin of the name Chapultepec, which means "hill of the grasshopper."
A Manhattan jury has ordered art publisher Michael McKenzie to pay $102.2 million in damages for creating unauthorized or adulterated versions of works by the late Pop artist Robert Indiana. The lawsuit, brought by Indiana’s former business partner the Morgan Art Foundation, alleged that McKenzie produced Indiana-related junk products that infringed trademark and copyright, including reproductions of Indiana’s iconic “LOVE” design and the artworks *The Ninth American Dream* (2001) and *USA FUN* (1965). The jury found McKenzie liable for exploiting Indiana in the final years of his life, after the artist granted power of attorney to his caretaker, Jamie Thomas.
Cultured magazine highlights several fall gallery shows in Los Angeles, featuring solo exhibitions by Mire Lee at Sprüth Magers, Rebecca Morris at Regen Projects, Lukas Geronimas at Parker Gallery, Christina Kimeze at Hauser & Wirth, and Herman Cherry at Sebastian Gladstone. The shows run through October and November 2025, showcasing a range of media from Lee's industrial paintings and Morris's abstract compositions to Geronimas's architectural sculptures, Kimeze's mystical figurative works, and Cherry's abstract expressionist paintings.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art has opened a new exhibition titled “Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments” in April 2026, which examines the cultural significance of public monuments through the lens of the fictional boxer Rocky Balboa. Curated by Paul Farber and drawing on the work of Monument Lab, the show brings the iconic Rocky Statue inside the museum, placing it alongside classical and contemporary artworks by artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol, as well as historical objects spanning 2,000 years.
The Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (Virginia MOCA) has inaugurated its new, expanded facility on the campus of Virginia Wesleyan University. The opening is anchored by a major solo exhibition titled "The Pursuit of Happiness" by acclaimed contemporary artist Nina Chanel Abney, alongside a group show, "Seamless: Art and Design." Abney’s exhibition features her signature large-scale, vibrant, and emoji-inspired works that explore the complexities of the American Dream, identity, and power structures through a lens of both visual seduction and narrative ambiguity.
The High Museum of Art has launched the first solo museum exhibition for American photographer Mimi Plumb, titled "Blazing Light." Spanning five decades of work, the exhibition features over 100 photographs across three major series: "The White Sky," "Landfall and The Golden City," and "The Reservoir." These gritty, black-and-white images document the evolving landscape of the American West, specifically California, while capturing the psychological tension of a society grappling with environmental decay and economic instability.
The Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, New York, presents "Born of Fire," a major exhibition of Iranian-born artist Shirin Neshat running from April 20 to September 1, 2025. The show features three photographic series—"Women of Allah" (1993–97), "The Book of Kings" (2012), and "Land of Dreams" (2019)—alongside two double-channel videos and a full-length film. Neshat's work explores themes of alienation, repression, and identity, drawing on her experience of living between Iranian and American cultures after the 1979 Islamic Revolution prevented her from returning home.
Perrotin gallery in New York presents 'Collective Hallcinations', an exhibition of new works by Brooklyn-based artist Nick Doyle. The show features wall-mounted denim collages and an immersive installation of a psychic parlor, including Doyle's first use of artificial intelligence. The works explore the fraught relationship between land and technology, progress and destruction, using denim as a material that evokes Americana, capitalism, and masculinity. The centerpiece, 'Mirror, Mirror', is a denim-clad structure housing an AI avatar named Ava, who offers sardonic commentary on the American dream and the digital frontier.
Director’s Notes with Andrew Nadkarni | Trey Abdella’s Miserable Dream
Director Andrew Nadkarni created a short film about artist Trey Abdella, titled "Trey Abdella's Miserable Dream." The film uses the metaphor of a Coney Island roller coaster to explore Abdella's artistic process, moving between his studio and the amusement park to show how he transforms personal memories and Americana into art.
Art21 will premiere a new documentary film, "Trey Abdella's Miserable Dream," online on December 10, 2025. The film, directed by Andrew Nadkarni, follows the artist as he draws inspiration from Coney Island and American middle-class aesthetics to create mixed-media paintings that blend skilled representation with unconventional materials.
Keith Mayerson returns to his home state for his first major Colorado exhibition, "My American Dream (Rocky Mountain High)," at the Aspen Art Museum. The show features works from his long-running "My American Dream" series, a project consisting of over 140 oil paintings that blend cultural icons, personal history, and landscapes into nonlinear narratives. This specific iteration draws heavily on Mayerson's childhood memories of Aspen as a bohemian utopia and incorporates imagery ranging from vintage ski passes to civil rights heroes.
Diana Eusebio’s first solo museum exhibition, *Field of Dreams*, has opened at the Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami, featuring over 30 works that combine hand-dyed textiles with digital prints. The artist, who grew up in Miami, uses natural dyes from materials like avocado, cochineal, and indigo to overlay portraits, family photos, and landscapes, exploring themes of identity, migration, and home. The exhibition includes a Q&A where Eusebio discusses her Peruvian Dominican heritage, the influence of baseball as a symbol of the American dream, and the current climate of fear for immigrants in the US.