The Hammer Museum's 'Made in L.A.' biennial proves the city's creative chaos is its greatest asset

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By Karan Singh

LA’s film industry may be plummeting, but the return of Made in L.A. proves there’s no shortage of creatives. The Hammer Museum’s seventh biennial took nearly a year to curate, with organizers canvassing the city to discover a variety of artistic disciplines and mediums.

This year, Essence Harden and Paulina Pobocha have brought together 28 artists whose works articulate how the coastal concrete sprawl is best appreciated in fragments. The void of a predetermined theme becomes the collection’s greatest strength—precisely like the region it pertains to; navigating the different works through process rather than product is what makes them so compelling.

Pat O’Neill, Los Angeles, from the series "Cars and
Other Problems, ca." 1960s. — Pat O’Neill, Los Angeles, from the series “Cars and Other Problems, ca.” 1960s. Courtesy of the artist.

Greg Breda’s spiritual portraits give the biennial its backbone

Amid the endearing mayhem of it all are seven paintings by local visual craftsman Greg Breda that give the exhibition a cohesive touch.

Each work was conceived in 2025, acrylic on polyester canvas throughout. From the tranquility of Enoch’s Meditation to the optimism of Reaching Beyond the Boundaries, Breda’s spiritual exploration of emotions takes on specificity through the bodies and faces of Black folk.

Greg Breda, "Here Am I" (2025) — Greg Breda, “Here Am I” (2025). Courtesy of the artist and PATRON, Chicago. Photo: Brica Wilcox.

The racial anatomy of his subjects creates a nuanced subcategory of the human condition, which Breda conveys with great precision by finding the perfect balance between light and dark.

The submissive tone of Morning Comes, but Also the Night differs from the tired acceptance that Here I Am seems to depict, but the collection is bound together and elicits a complex set of feelings that all viewers can relate to.

Ali Eyal, Beaux Mendes, and more make their mark

In addition to Breda’s captivating works, the freakishly defined malfunctions of Ali Eyal’s And Look Where I Went are an instant eye-catcher. At the same time, Beaux Mendes offers equally gripping imagery through two separate, cross-dimensional interpretations of Dr. Lazarus.

Beax Mendes, untitled. oil on sheepskin parchment — Beax Mendes, untitled. (2024) Courtesy of the artist and Miguel Abreu Gallery, New York. Photo: Stephen Fraught.

On the photographic front, Pat O’Neill and Peter Tomka take a more somber approach through black-and-white processing. Elsewhere, Alake Shilling’s 25-foot Buggy Bear Crashes Made in L.A. sculpture, positioned outside the venue, perfectly prefaces the wonkiness of her glazed ceramic models displayed inside, and so much more to discover.

Fast facts: ‘Made in L.A.’ at the Hammer Museum at UCLA

Made in L.A. thrives on its refusal to impose order on chaos, with Greg Breda’s contemplative paintings providing just enough cohesion to let 28 artists capture L.A.’s fragmented soul.