Exhibitions

This exhibition documents international Indigenous artists’ responses to the impacts of radiation and toxic waste on Native peoples and the environment. The work of the 36 artists and collectives, most of whom identify as Indigenous, is centered around the impact that nuclear testing, uranium mining, and the subsequent contamination have had on the colonized peoples and their ancestral, unceded lands of present-day Australia, Canada, Greenland, the US, Japan, and the Pacific Islands. The exhibition presents an interdisciplinary mixture of forms and genres, including sculpture, video installation, photography, collage, glasswork, metalwork, fiber, paintings, and virtual-reality experiences. The works tell personal stories of illness, struggle, and resilience in the face of corporate willfulness and government complicity.

Exposure was first presented in August 2021 at the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a contemporary art venue operated by the Institute of American Indian Arts, and was organized by a curatorial team led by MoCNA’s Chief Curator Manuela Well-Off-Man. The exhibition and its accompanying hardcover catalogue were made possible with support from the Ford Foundation and the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. This will be the first west coast presentation of this poignant exhibition which, following its premiere at MoCNA, will be presented at the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum (Saginaw, MI) and the El Paso Museum of Art (TX) in addition to the Armory.

Upcoming Public Programs

Continue checking this page for more public programs centered around Exposure or sign up for our email list so you don't miss out. All exhibition public programs are free, and donations are appreciated. To support our programming, please go to armoryarts.org/support.

Exhibition Guides

Visitor guides are available as downloadable PDFs. Prior to your visit, you can download the Gallery Guide or Family Guide with information about the exhibition and activities that correspond to the artworks in the exhibition. Paper copies are also available onsite at our gallery desk.

Our Gallery Guide provides the biographies of all the artists involved in this exhibition. Our Family Guide includes a word search, map, art-making activities, and more information for gallery guests. Family Guides are available for anyone and are specially made for kids to have a deeper dive into the artwork. This document is in English and Spanish.

Past Public Programs

Exposure Expanded: Marquita “Micki” Davis and Patrick McCray
Saturday, June 3, 2023, 3:00 PM

Streaming Video Series: Viewed online April 28 through May 7

The Armory was pleased to present an online screening of videos from our current exhibition Exposure: Native Art and Political Ecology, which documents international Indigenous responses to the impacts of nuclear production processes on Native peoples and the environment. The online program featured works from artists Klee Benally, Anna Tsouhlarakis, Jessie Kleemann, Alexander Lee, Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner, Dan Taulapapa McMullin, and Rankin Taxi.

Public Exhibition Opening Celebration
Sunday, February 19
Exhibition Hours: 1:00 to 5:00 PM
Printmaking Workshop: 12:30 to 2:00 PM
Curator Walkthrough: 2:00 to 3:00 PM

Join us to celebrate our new exhibition Exposure: Native Art and Political Ecology. Manuela Well-Off-Man, exhibition curator and Chief Curator of the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts in Santa Fe, will host a public walkthrough of this powerful exhibition starting at 2:00 PM. Before the curator walkthrough, join us at 12:30 PM for an all-ages, hands-on printmaking workshop led by teaching artist Ed Leonardi. Design your own symbols of protection inspired by the exhibition. This event is free and open to everyone. Donations are appreciated. To support our programming, please go to armoryarts.org/support.

Media

10 Art Shows to See in LA This May
(Hyperallergic)

Exhibition Review: Exposure
(Contemporary Art Review Los Angeles)

Image: APY Art Collective (Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara/Luritja) artists. Kulata Tjuta (“many spears”), 2017, 550 suspended kulata (spears), 27 coolamons (vessels), video. 2023 installation photo at Armory Center for the Arts by Ian Byers-Gamber.

Exposure was supported by generous grants from the Ford Foundation, Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and by Air Tahiti Nui.

This exhibition was made possible at the Armory with generous support from the Pasadena Art Alliance. Lead support for all Armory programs comes from the Los Angeles Arts Recovery Fund and the Perenchio Foundation. Armory Center for the Arts is a member of and supported by the Los Angeles Visual Arts (LAVA) Coalition.