The Art World
Must See Exhibitions, Art Fairs, and Biennales Worth Traveling for this Fall
By Bennett DiDonna
Even in the land of perpetual sunshine that is Southern California, there is a certain post-Labor Day blues that comes with the end of summer. Back to work, back to school, back to reality. The throngs of Aperol-Spritz-sipping tourists begin to dwindle, the city kicks back into gear. But if you are experiencing this seasonal affective shift, fear not! The Fall travel season is now officially upon us, and there is much to look forward to. Think quiet beaches and cool nights, fewer toddlers flying Business (while you’re stuck in Premium Economy), and perhaps best of all, a spectacular cultural calendar. In the spirit of new seasons, new openings, and new destinations, we’ve assembled a guide of must-see exhibitions, art fairs, and biennales worth traveling for this Fall.
Olafur Eliasson: OPEN
The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA
September 15 - July 2025
Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson’s large-scale site-specific works are immersive and awe-inspiring. Throughout his career Eliasson has explored themes of light, color, geometry, and the environment, all of which are touched upon in his new exhibition OPEN at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA in Los Angeles. With over a dozen commissioned works on view, Eliasson dives into feelings of embodiment and perception through a range of sensory experiences.
Isaac Julien: Once Again… (Statues Never Die)
Museum of Contemporary Art Australia
September 27 - February 2025
British Artist and Director Isaac Julien’s multi-channel video installations feel a bit like watching a cinematographic ballet. A narrative emerges across multiple screens, expanding and contracting, evolving as you move through the space. In Julien’s striking new installation Once Again... (Statues Never Die) (2022), at The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in Sydney, the film touches on the significant and often neglected place of African objects in numerous collections of Western art museums.
Desde los Cielos (From the Heavens)
The Cheech Marin Museum for Chicano Art & Culture
On View October 5 - March 2025
Founded in 2022, The Cheech Marin Museum for Chicano Art & Culture houses the famed comedian’s extensive collection along with a dynamic program of exhibitions and events. Opening this October, Desde los Cielos (From the Heavens), features work from 12 Inland Empire artists. Exploring the concept of alienness, the show reflects on identity and societal norms, including the concept of the outsider as a powerful tool for self-expression and community building.
Maysha Mohamedi: yesterday I was a tiny tube of toothpaste
PACE Tokyo
On View September 6 - October 16
California artist Maysha Mohamedi has always been drawn to ideas and experiences that are universal at their core. After training as a neuroscientist, Mohamedi eventually found her way to painting, using color and calligraphic abstraction as means for storytelling. This September, Mohamedi’s new exhibition yesterday I was a tiny tube of toothpaste will inaugurate Pace’s new 5,500 Sou Fujimoto designed Tokyo gallery in the city’s Azabudai Hills.
Renzo Piano Building Workshop: Le Fil Rouge
Istituto Italiano di Cultura Los Angeles
On View September 12 - October 30
Nestled in West Los Angeles, the Istituto Italiano di Cultura is home to a rotating program of screenings, exhibitions, concerts, and talks that foster cultural exchange between Italy and the US. With the Institute’s new exhibition, Renzo Piano Building Workshop: Le Fil Rouge, visitors get an inside look at the creative through-line that undergirds the architect’s studio and process. A creative evolution that brought to life the Academy Museum in LA, The New York Times Building in NYC, and The Centre Pompidou in Paris—to name a few.
Luzia: Paulo Nazareth
Museo Tamayo
On View 3 October - February 2025
Brazilian artist Paulo Nazareth’s performance-based works put himself at the center of explorations of identity, movement, and diaspora. This September, Nazareth’s new exhibition Luiza, at the Museo Tamayo in Mexico City’s sprawling Bosque de Chapultepec park spans several decades of the artist’s career. Luiza explores the ways in which history is written, speculated on, twisted, or erased through the figure Luiza “a fossil, an ancestor, a saint, a city, an Afro-indigenous people and territory.”
Homo Faber 2024: The Journey of Life
Fondazione Giorgio Cini
On View September 1 - 30
Under the stewardship of the Michelangelo Foundation, Homo Faber celebrates contemporary craftsmanship and the role that handmade objects play in our daily lives. This September marks Homo Faber’s third biennale in Venice, featuring work from 400 artisans across 70 countries. The biennale will primarily take place at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini with additional satellite events, exhibitions, and studio tours throughout the city. This year’s theme, The Journey of Life, was brought to life under the stewardship of Director Luca Guadagnino (of Challengers and Call Me by Your Name) and designer Nicolò Rosmarini.
Art Basel Paris
Grand Palais
October 16 - October 20
As the most recent addition to the powerhouse art fair’s jet-setting rotation, this year’s edition of Art Basel Paris will take place at the Grand Palais with the participation of 194 galleries from 42 countries. The fair itself is split in three, with Galeries—the main exhibition—featuring modern and contemporary works, Emergence, featuring work from emerging artists, and Premise, featuring work from pre-1900. Art Basel Paris is a week-long celebration in the French capital, including partnerships with many of the city’s leading cultural institutions as well as a curated public art program at sites across the city.
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