In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, a free, drive-thru art experience at the Hollywood Palladium Theater will feature works by emerging and established Latinx artists, exploring the Latinx influence on Los Angeles, a collaboration between Hyundai, Long Beach’s Museum of Latin American Art and Los Angeles-based organization Art of Elysium.
“DRIVEN,” will take place Oct. 1-4, and involve a 25-minute immersive, interactive drive-thru exhibit, experienced from the comfort of a car. Drivers will tune into an FM station to hear a playlist curated for the experience by KCRW’s Raul Campos, providing the soundtrack as guests move past South American landscapes and eight art installations.
“It’s a great opportunity to see something different, something inspirational during this complicated and uncertain time when we are trying to find new ways to connect with people,” said MOLAA’s chief curator Gabriela Urtiaga. “So the idea to do it in a drive-thru experience at the historic Hollywood Palladium is really fabulous.”
For “DRIVEN” Urtiaga selected “very powerful works” by artists tackling diversity, inclusion, equity, equality and utopic universes in their practices.
With artworks pulled from MOLAA’s permanent collection in dialogue with other emerging artists, pieces include “Californian Family in Six Colors #1,” 2019 by Leo Chiachio and Daniel Giannone, the Buenos Aires-based duo known for their vibrant textile mosaics and embroidery, contemplating what it’s like to be LGBTQ in Latin America and the evolving structure of the family.
MOLAA presented “Chiachio & Giannone: Celebrating Diversity” to museum visitors in 2019, a participatory installation.
There’s also “Les demoiselles d’barrio,” 2013 by Judithe Hernández, who in 2018 became the first American-born Latina to have a solo exhibition at MOLAA. Hernández first received acclaim in the ’70s during the Los Angeles mural renaissance as a member of the Chicano artist collective Los Four.
More artists featured that “invite us to explore artists’ commitment to social and highly relevant cultural issues,” Urtiaga said, include Carlos Almaraz, Steffano Álvarez, Judithe Hernández, Patssi Valdez, Denise López, Diana Gómez, Norberto Rodríguez and Delmer Mejías.
“DRIVEN” takes place Oct. 1 – 4, 12 to 8 p.m. at the Hollywood Palladium at 6215 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles. A limited number of tickets are available at universe.com/Hyundai.