This Week in LA: Sept. 11→17
Perception, Scale, and the Boundaries of Reality
Mid-September brings a surge of compelling new exhibitions across Los Angeles, where artists explore perception, scale, and the boundaries between reality and imagination. This week launches with Elmgreen & Dragset's mind-bending exploration of scale and psychological distortion at Pace Gallery, where full-size artworks are paired with exact half-size versions in a spatial game inspired by Alice in Wonderland Syndrome. Whether you're drawn to the first major LA exhibition of Brazilian master Hélio Oiticica's vibrant geometric abstractions at Lisson Gallery, Annie Bielski's dynamic paintings that pulse with intense color at North Loop West, or the intimate portraits of immigrant life captured in Erick Medel's fiber works at Charlie James Gallery, there's a sense of artists pushing the limits of medium and meaning. Time to dive into September's perceptual adventures...
This week's edition of LA Insider is presented by Curatorial — your partners dedicated to preserving, preparing, and connecting fine art with people around the world. Learn more at curatorial.com
On View Now
Pace Gallery | Los Angeles
Elmgreen & Dragset: The Alice in Wonderland Syndrome
September 13 – October 25, 2025
The duo's first solo exhibition in LA exploring themes of scale, perception, and psychological distortion through an immersive two-part presentation featuring full-scale artworks in the main gallery alongside exact half-size versions in an adjoining space scaled to match.
LAUNCH Gallery | Mid-Wilshire
Linda Arreola: Almost Home
On view through October 4, 2025
A new series of paintings and sculptures referencing the idea of journey, featuring "word bubbles" from the subconscious and street name references that create communion of neighborhoods, while drawing on ancient Mesoamerican architecture as foundation for maps of the artist's life.
Lisson Gallery | Hollywood
Hélio Oiticica
September 17 – November 1, 2025
The first major LA exhibition dedicated to the Brazilian artist featuring vibrant gouaches, dynamic suspended sculptures, and a rare oil painting, charting his trajectory from early geometric abstraction to immersive environments that transformed viewer experience with art and space.
OCHI Gallery | Hollywood
Callahan & Jack Ryan: Visual Snow
September 13 – October 25, 2025
A two-person exhibition featuring Callahan's meticulous hanging sculptures of crystal bead strands that reorient spatial understanding, paired with Ryan's Neo-Impressionist cityscapes that draw attention to the phenomenology of sight itself through flurried brushstrokes and hallucinatory abstraction.
Wilding Cran Gallery | Hollywood
Polly Borland: Blobs and Bod
September 13 – October 25, 2025
Sculptural works by the renowned photographer marking a shift into three-dimensional form, featuring figures created by compressing and distorting human models with foam, nylon, and rubber bands, then 3D scanning and casting them to explore vulnerability and transformation.
S P O N S O R E D
Track 16 Gallery | East Hollywood
Elyse Pignolet: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
September 13 – October 25, 2025
Ceramics and paintings responding to global injustice, women's rights, and consent issues, featuring blue and white works with text that require viewers to slow down and decipher both literal messages and actual events being described.
North Loop West | Chinatown
Annie Bielski: Trampoline
September 12 – October 26, 2025
NY-based artist's LA debut featuring paintings, works on paper, and painted silk lampshades that emphasize dynamic physicality through intuitive staining, scraping, and layering of materials to create buoyant compositions that pulse with intense color and linger at the threshold of abstraction and representation.
Charlie James Gallery | Chinatown
Erick Medel: El Mañana
September 13 – October 18, 2025
Fiber works "painted" with sewing machine on denim capturing the vibrancy of the artist's eastside neighborhood, celebrating resilience and ingenuity of immigrant communities through intimate snapshots and expansive street scenes that preserve ephemeral moments and small joys.
Abigail Ogilvy Gallery | Arts District, DTLA
Tallulah Dirnfeld: I Was Always Good
September 13 – November 2, 2025
Paintings examining the quiet rituals of control and self-containment through faceless, uniformed figures occupying tightly composed interiors with neatly made beds, braided hair, and polished chrome that carry a faint sense of nostalgia.
Band of Vices | Arts District, DTLA
Victoria Cassinova: Soil for Healing
September 13 – October 25, 2025
Oil paintings, mixed media, and graphite works exploring grief and spiritual transformation through visual narratives that feel both excavated and constructed, featuring rich textural surfaces created through an alchemical practice of composting discarded materials into fertile ground for healing.
Support LA Insider
Help us continue bringing you thoughtfully curated weekly coverage of Lvibrant art and culture scene.
Become a paid subscriber for less than the price of a monthly cappuccino and support our mission to connect you with the city's most compelling exhibitions, cultural events, and creative experiences.
Follow us on Instagram at @la.insider for real-time updates and behind-the-scenes glimpses of LA's cultural landscape.
Your support makes all the difference in keeping LA's essential art guide independent and thriving.
Thank you for being part of our community!
Brought to you with ❤️ from the LA Insider team.
LA Insider is the weekly newsletter that connects you to LA's vibrant art and culture scene. From the Hollywood Hills to downtown, Malibu and beyond, we uncover a curated selection of standout exhibitions, cultural events, and creative experiences that define the City of Angels.
Delivered weekly by the editorial team of Fabrik Magazine, connecting LA's art community since 2008.
Want to share your exhibition or cultural event with LA's art community?
LA Insider reaches over 30,000 engaged subscribers weekly – collectors, curators, artists, and cultural influencers who actively seek out meaningful art experiences. From solo announcements to group listings, we offer flexible options to amplify your reach.
Learn more about our announcement services and join the galleries, museums, and cultural organizations that trust Fabrik to connect them with LA's vibrant art scene.