Heavy Metal at LAMAG: Feminist Sculpture Rewrites LA's Monument Narrative

The Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery (LAMAG) presents 'Heavy Metal,' a group exhibition curated by Nancy Meyer featuring 20 artists who challenge traditional monument narratives from a feminist perspective. The show, running through June 20, 2026, at 4800 Hollywood Boulevard, responds to the earlier 'MONUMENTS' exhibition at The Geffen Contemporary, which displayed decommissioned Confederate statues alongside contemporary works. 'Heavy Metal' uses formalism to examine colonial histories, memory, and the natural world. Notable works include Miya Ando's ethereal cloud piece, Alika Cooper's bronze manhole cover sculptures, Katie Grinnan's body-cast installation inspired by Death Valley, Kelly Lamb's bison bone bench, Abigail Lucien's barn referencing a family fire, Kelly Wall's bench inscribed with quotes from John Steinbeck and Joan Didion, Beatriz Cortez's interactive porch inspired by an Apache Mescalero stone mason, and Amy Bessone's theatrical installation. The exhibition emphasizes inclusion and representation in a city like Los Angeles, offering community-built monuments such as benches, porches, and manhole covers instead of traditional statues.