Los Angeles's Hammer Museum has officially dropped the names for its next "Made in L.A." biennial. Get ready for Fall 2027, because Michael Wellen and José Luis Blondet are taking the reins, promising to deliver the eighth (and hopefully most intriguing) edition of the city's premier art showcase.
Wellen, the Hammer's shiny new chief curator as of April, comes straight from London's Tate Modern. Blondet, meanwhile, has been senior curator at MOCA since 2023, after a 13-year stint at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). So, we've got one fresh pair of eyes and one deeply rooted in the city's art ecosystem.
The Dream Team Assembled
Wellen, clearly not wasting any time after his transatlantic move, approached Blondet about a tag-team effort. He'd "respected [Blondet] for years," apparently, and figured Blondet's deep connections and knowledge of the LA scene would make for a "wonderful partnership." Because nothing says 'welcome to LA' like immediately diving into a massive collaborative art project.
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Start Your News DetoxBlondet, who landed in LA back in 2010, recalls being captivated by the very first "Made in L.A." in 2012. He says it "opened my eyes to the many idiosyncratic methodologies and practices" of the city's diverse art scene. Curating it has been a "secret dream" of his. Which, if you think about it, is both impressive and slightly terrifying for anyone who's ever had a secret dream involving hundreds of artists and an entire museum wing.
Their research is just kicking off, naturally involving a whole lot of studio visits. The goal? To "move away from preconceptions" about Los Angeles. They plan to let the artists lead, building the exhibition's structure from those conversations. Wellen's recent arrival, he notes, offers a "potentially different" perspective. Because sometimes you need an outsider to tell you what's really going on inside.
Blondet isn't new to the biennial game, having co-curated "SITElines" in 2018. Wellen, however, is making his biennial debut, though he sees his experience with Tate Modern's sprawling collection displays as a "parallel experience." Which, fair enough, managing a global art collection probably prepares you for anything.
Both curators are genuinely hyped about the biennial model, seeing it as a crucial platform for creative conversations and debates. Blondet called them "a promise of continuity," offering "one small moment with specific actors" rather than a definitive statement. Wellen simply concluded that the model is "very open." Let that satisfyingly vague yet optimistic sentiment sink in as we wait three years to see what they cook up.
