On August 25, 2025, the city’s art world is in full bloom, offering an extraordinary array of exhibitions that capture the breadth and depth of contemporary creativity. Across major galleries, museums, and public spaces, Los Angeles is reaffirming its position as a cultural hub where local and global voices converge. This month’s programming highlights not only the city’s diverse artistic talent but also its willingness to experiment with form, history, and identity in ways that both challenge and captivate audiences.
One of the standout shows is Empress of Night, Marcel Dzama’s surreal installation at David Zwirner Gallery. Dzama, known for his fantastical figures and theatrical drawings, has constructed an environment that melds dreamlike imagery with darker undertones of power and fragility. His works invite viewers into a universe that feels both whimsical and unsettling, drawing on the surrealist tradition while layering in subtle commentary about politics and human vulnerability. The installation has quickly become one of the most talked-about exhibitions of the season, drawing crowds eager to step into Dzama’s strange yet beautiful world.
Meanwhile, David Kordansky Gallery is honoring an iconic slice of American culture with An American Beauty: 1965–1995. This retrospective celebrates the legacy of the Grateful Dead, a band whose influence extended far beyond music to shape fashion, visual art, and communal identity. Through archival materials, artworks inspired by the band’s ethos, and cultural artifacts from three decades, the exhibition illuminates how the Dead became a symbol of both counterculture and creativity. For Angelenos, it provides a rare opportunity to explore a cultural movement that bridged art, performance, and lifestyle in ways that continue to inspire new generations.
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Hauser & Wirth DTLA is offering a different kind of reflection with its presentation of Venezuelan-born artist Luchita Hurtado’s Yo Soy series. The exhibition revisits Hurtado’s feminist word paintings from the mid-1970s, a body of work that reasserted female identity and presence in a period dominated by male voices in the art world. Hurtado’s legacy has only grown in recent years, and this show underscores her pioneering role in shaping feminist discourse through art. Her words and colors, stark yet resonant, continue to feel timely and urgent in 2025.
Elsewhere in the city, Karma Gallery is showcasing the mystical works on paper by Bosnian-born artist Maja Ruznic. Her paintings, often described as otherworldly, blend folklore, memory, and subconscious imagery. The delicacy of her materials contrasts with the emotional intensity of her subject matter, producing an experience that feels both intimate and transcendent. Ruznic’s exhibition adds a deeply personal note to the month’s programming, reminding viewers of the ways art can be a vessel for personal history and spiritual searching.
The Broad is extending the global reach of the Venice Biennale by presenting the latest work from Jeffrey Gibson, whose practice centers on Indigenous and queer identity. Gibson’s installations combine vibrant patterns, text, and sculptural forms, celebrating resilience and multiplicity. His work has been hailed for its ability to merge craft traditions with contemporary discourse, and at The Broad, his presentation resonates as both celebratory and defiant. For Los Angeles audiences, Gibson’s exhibition is a reminder of the city’s role in fostering conversations about inclusion and representation in the arts.
Public and environmental art also play a key role this August. At the La Brea Tar Pits, Mark Dion has unveiled Excavations, an installation that blends scientific inquiry with artistic imagination. Known for his work at the intersection of natural history and visual culture, Dion’s pieces highlight humanity’s ongoing dialogue with the environment and with the past. Visitors encounter objects and installations that feel simultaneously archaeological and fictional, challenging perceptions of how knowledge is created and preserved.
Over at the Hotel Bel-Air, Michael Wilding’s sculptures are providing guests and visitors with an immersive outdoor art experience. His works, integrated into the lush gardens of the property, blur the line between natural environment and artistic intervention. The sculptures invite quiet reflection, merging luxury and art in ways that redefine how audiences encounter creativity outside of formal gallery spaces.
Additional exhibitions across the city further enrich the cultural tapestry. Parker Gallery, long known for its dedication to intimate and experimental programming, is offering a series of works that emphasize color, play, and personal narrative. Meanwhile, Southern Guild is hosting shows that spotlight artists from the Global South, deepening Los Angeles’s commitment to international dialogue and exchange. Together, these spaces highlight how the city thrives on both local expression and global connectivity.
This August, Los Angeles is proving once again that its arts scene is not confined to any single identity or style. The sheer variety on offer—from Dzama’s surreal dreamscapes to Gibson’s bold cultural affirmations, from Hurtado’s feminist legacies to Dion’s playful excavations—underscores the city’s strength as a place of layered and overlapping narratives. Visitors can move from intimate gallery settings to sprawling public installations, experiencing art that is personal, political, and communal all at once.
What makes Los Angeles unique is the way its art scene mirrors the city itself: diverse, experimental, and alive with dialogue. August 2025 offers proof that in L.A., art is not just a matter of viewing—it is a matter of living, connecting, and imagining new futures.
