Eric Owen Moss Architects, Samitaur, 1996, Los Angeles.
“A New Sculpturalism: Contemporary Architecture From Southern California”
THE GEFFEN CONTEMPORARY (MOCA)
LOS ANGELES
Through July 29
Curated by Christopher Mount
There is a certain irony in using the rubric of “sculpturalism” to encapsulate the influential architecture that has emerged from Southern California in recent decades, because its sculptural quality is now probably its least defining characteristic; its once-novel forms—and the pioneering digital technologies that enable them—have become ubiquitous, and what previously had the cachet of a local style has become a global export. Fortunately, the region’s architecture has always been distinguished above all by its heterogeneity and restless experimentation, so this show and extensive catalogue, focusing on thirty designers, including LA legends Frank Gehry and Thom Mayne and a host of emerging talents, are sure to offer more than one way to keep the field moving forward long after it leaves sculpture behind.