This year, visitors to LACMA and the Miracle Mile alike have been greeted by a number of outdoor artworks around the museum, both new and familiar to the collection, that have appeared over time around the new David Geffen Galleries. These recent additions to the museum’s campus include returning favorites like Alexander Calder’s iconic mobile fountain Three Quintains (Hello Girls) (1964) and new commissions like Mariana Castillo Deball’s Feathered Changes (2025), the 220,000-square-foot artwork that makes up the floor of the building’s plaza level itself.
One of the newest works to find its home outside the Geffen Galleries is a sculpture by Shio Kusaka titled Beam (2026), which exemplifies the artist’s playful approach to ceramics. It takes the form of a clay saucer with decorative mosaic tiles whose yellow beam of light encourages visitors to peek inside. It has already become a source of inspiration to the young artists in the W.M. Keck Education Center, from where the sculpture is visible.
Bolstering the work’s status as one of LACMA’s latest icons, visitors can also get their hands on a limited-edition ceramic sculpture, titled mini beam, and a children’s t-shirt featuring Kusaka’s reinterpretation of the LACMA logo inspired by the sculpture. Both will be available soon at the LACMA Store.
Prior to the installation of Beam, we had the opportunity to visit the artist in her studio to discuss the inspiration and process behind this extraterrestrial artwork.
Where did the idea for the sculpture start?
I wanted to make a sculpture that’s lifted and has something to do with outer space. My original idea was a rocket, but I shifted to a flying saucer with a beam of light.
Why a UFO?
The flying saucer is something everyone has a story about, whether they believe in UFOs or not. It’s a very recognizable universal form. Also, I really like the idea that the beam is a part of the sculpture to support the flying saucer up high.
What is it like to craft something so big out of clay?
Making a clay saucer this big wasn’t straightforward. Clay is more sturdy when it’s built upward. A saucer is wide and sloped. I managed it by making the bottom of the saucer flat so I could slide it into the kiln. I used steel and mosaic on the bottom of it.
We made the mosaic tiles at my studio. Each tile is a half-inch square of clay. They dry quickly, which makes the whole process fast—you make it, let it dry, and fire it, so the turnaround is really quick. I wanted the mosaic process to be simple and fun.