Look back and reflect on MOCA’s history, past exhibitions, initiatives, programs, and permanent collection, and see how all of these efforts relate to our present offerings and future initiatives. This series is led by MOCA's team of curators.
This week, MOCA Senior Curator and Administrative Department Head Bennett Simpson looks back at the 2012 exhibition Blues for Smoke through archival images and video content. This exhibition is among one of MOCA’s most beloved historical moments; the interdisciplinary exhibition, originally presented at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, explored a wide range of contemporary art, music, literature, and film through the lens of the blues and blues aesthetics. Turning to the blues not simply as a musical category, but as a web of artistic sensibilities and cultural idioms, the exhibition featured works by more than 50 artists from the 1950s to the present, including many commissioned specifically for this occasion and others never before shown in Los Angeles, as well as a range of musical, filmic, and cultural materials. Blues for Smoke was developed over several years by Simpson, in close consultation with artist Glenn Ligon.
Be on the lookout for more Blues for Smoke content through Virtual MOCA this week!
Blues for Smoke Video Playlist
Virtual MOCA is a new and daily digital series available on both moca.org and across MOCA's social media platforms. To enjoy the breadth of this program, please follow us on our social channels:
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All Virtual MOCA content is archived and sent out via email at the end of each week. For easy access to previous programs, subscribe to our mailing list.
