Let’s be realistic. Most biennials suffer from a case of glut over guts, failing to really thrill anyone. Whether international in scope or charmingly regional, they are, more often than not, drearily low-yield, baggy affairs. Unhappily, I find myself only reinforcing expectation here, as “uneven” barely begins to describe the eleventh edition of the California Biennial. Given the Golden State’s sprawling art scenes and atomized array of artistic strategies, and given noteworthy previous editions of the exhibition, there was reason to hope for more.

Curated by Sarah Bancroft, a recent transplant