The Hammer Museum announced Thursday that Michael Wellen and José Luis Blondet will serve as co-curators of “Made in L.A. 2027,” the next edition of its biennial exhibition showcasing artists from across the greater Los Angeles area.
The exhibition, the eighth in the “Made in L.A.” series, is scheduled to open in fall 2027, according to museum officials. The biennial highlights the work of local artists, with an emphasis on emerging and underrepresented voices.
Wellen became the Hammer Museum’s chief curator in April after previously serving as senior curator of international art at Tate Modern in London. Blondet is a senior curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.
“For more than a decade the `Made in L.A.’ biennial has been a convergence point for artists in Los Angeles,” Hammer Museum Director Zoe Ryan said in a statement. “I am excited to watch Michael and José Luis develop an exhibition that will draw on the current dynamism and artistic legacies of this city. Both curators have a track record of working closely with artists and creating exhibitions with insightful frameworks that center their ideas.”
Wellen organized exhibitions at Tate Modern featuring artists including Takis, Lubaina Himid and Philip Guston. He also previously served as assistant curator of Latin American and Latino art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Blondet has organized exhibitions at MOCA featuring artists including Olafur Eliasson and Ana Segovia. Before joining MOCA, he spent 13 years at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, where he developed exhibitions, commissions and performance projects with numerous contemporary artists.
Made in L.A. debuted in 2012 and has become one of the Hammer Museum’s signature exhibitions, highlighting artists working throughout the Los Angeles area, officials said.