Form in the Age of Living Materials
- The Hammer Museum is currently hosting Several Eternities in a Day: Form in the Age of Living Materials, an exhibition that explores the intersection of contemporary art and...
- The exhibition centers on the use of unpredictable, living materials that evolve, decay, drip, crumble, and evaporate over time.
- Artists in the exhibition utilize a diverse array of organic mediums to create mixed-media sculptures, paintings, works on paper, and large-scale installations.
The Hammer Museum is currently hosting Several Eternities in a Day: Form in the Age of Living Materials
, an exhibition that explores the intersection of contemporary art and organic matter. Running from April 5 through August 23, 2026, the show features the work of twenty-two artists from North, Central, and South America.
The exhibition centers on the use of unpredictable, living materials that evolve, decay, drip, crumble, and evaporate over time. According to the Hammer Museum, these materials are rooted in the memory, spirit, and knowledge of Indigenous and Brown worlds, serving as repositories of cosmic memory and records of the living.
Artists in the exhibition utilize a diverse array of organic mediums to create mixed-media sculptures, paintings, works on paper, and large-scale installations. These materials include cacao, avocado, cochineal, achiote, clay, stone, and various natural dyes.
A review by Time Out, published April 30, 2026, describes the exhibition as a multisensory experience. Visitors encounter the smell of soil and a vibrating wall upon entry, while sonic interventions are integrated throughout the galleries.
The review notes that the exhibition highlights that commonality and aims to reframe the discussion around artists and race
by focusing on the shared relationship between the artists and the organic materials they employ.
The experience concludes in a meditative, black-walled room where the floor is covered in sand and the space is filled with the sounds of the ocean.
The twenty-two artists featured in the exhibition are:
- Jackie Amézquita
- Carmen Argote
- Esteban Cabeza de Baca
- Gustavo Caboco
- Edgar Calel
- Raven Chacon
- Gabriel Chaile
- Patricia Domínguez-Claro
- Jaider Esbell
- Naomi Gamarra
- Sheroanawe Hakihiiwe
- Raven Halfmoon
- Sky Hopinka
- Nereyda López Gutiérrez
- Guadalupe Maravilla
- Ana Mendieta
- Carlos Mérida
- Rose B. Simpson
- Mary Sully
- Ayla Tavares
- Francisco Toledo
- Santiago Yahuarcani
The exhibition is supported by the Warhol Foundation and considers themes of organic transformation and the unpredictable nature of materials that are inherently alive.