Many points of connection at Made in L.A.

Artists at the seventh Hammer biennial drive home how 'the city is a global place.'

- By Jessica GELT

"COLLECTIVE Scream," above, by Gabriela Ruiz, one of 28 artists participating in the seventh installment of the Made in L.A. biennial at the Hammer Museum.

(ETIENNE LAURENT For The Times)

The built environment of Los Angeles — as well as its opaque soul — is on display at UCLA’s Hammer Museum in the seventh edition of its popular Made in L.A. biennial, featuring 28 artists with deep connections to the sprawling metropolis.

The 2023 exhibition, titled “Acts of Living,” was largely informed by the pandemic. This year there is no title or theme, with curators Essence Harden and Paulina Pobocha relying on the work itself to shine a light on the amorphous nature of the city.

During a sneak-peek tour of the still-unfinished galleries a few days before the show’s opening last week, Harden and Pobocha discussed the finer points of the exhibition, including how they staged the work by juxtaposing various artists and historical references to highlight the interconnections between the art, rather than devoting each gallery to a single artist or time frame.