This Weekend at LACMA: New Installations from Helen Pashgian and Ancient Mesoamerica, Emily Mast and ‘The Least Important Things,’ and More!

March 28, 2014

March to the museum this last weekend of the month for the opening of Helen Pashgian: Light Invisible. Since the 1960s, contemporary Los Angeles sculptor Helen Pashgian has experimented with light and space and now, in her first large-scale sculptural installation, Pashgian has created an immersive meditation on the nature of material and light. Helen Pashgian: Light Invisible opens to the public on Sunday; LACMA members see it first during Member Preview Days on Friday and Saturday.

Helen Pashgian, Untitled, 2012–2013, © Helen Pashgian, photo © 2014 Museum Associates/LACMA Helen Pashgian, Untitled, 2012–13, © Helen Pashgian, photo © 2014 Museum Associates/LACMA

Also debuting this weekend on Saturday, The Painted City: Art from Teotihuacan looks at painted ceramics from the ancient Mesoamerican metropolis of Teotihuacan, a prosperous city that grew to be the sixth largest in the world during the fifth century and a regional hub for artists and merchants. Gain insight into the city’s artistic tradition through the pictorial writing system that adorned the city.

The Least Important Things, a performance from L.A.-based artist Emily Mast, continues on Friday and Saturday. This procession of theatrical vignettes will occur throughout campus and feature “stage poetry” from Joan Brossa, exploring topics of incoherence, the quotidian, and popular entertainment. This performance series is free to the public.

Lyle Ashton Harris, Verona #1 (detail), 2001–4, Dunbar, New York, © Lyle Ashton Harris Lyle Ashton Harris, Verona #1 (detail), 2001–4, Dunbar, New York, © Lyle Ashton Harris

On Sunday, Andell Family Sundays—The Art of Soccer at 12:30 pm invites children and parents to create their own Fútbol: The Beautiful Game inspired art. In the evening see pianist Abbey Simon at this week’s Sundays Live concert beginning at 6 pm. While you’re visiting, take advantage of daily, free tours of the collection and temporary exhibitions, including walkthroughs of our German Expressionism galleries (Saturday at 2:30 pm) and a full tour of Calder and Abstraction: From Avant-Garde to Iconic (Sunday at 11:30 am). Have at it!

Roberto Ayala