PST Art & Science Collide Across SoCal

More Than 800 Artists and 70-Plus Exhibitions Explore Intersections of Art and Science

At the Fowler Museum at UCLA in partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara 'Sangre de Nopal/Blood of the Nopal: Tanya Aguiñiga and Porfirio Gutiérrez in Conversation': Artists Porfirio Gutiérrez and Tanya Aguiñiga hold their weavings in front of their faces on a hill near Gutiérrez’s hometown in Teotítlan del Valle, Oaxaca. | Photo: Javier Lazo Gutiérrez.

Looking for ways to recharge the brain and fuel lively conversation with friends and family? Dive into PST Art, presented by Getty, which for the next five months will showcase the works of more than 800 artists as they explore the intersections of art and science. The 70-plus exhibitions span the past and present, and some reveal fascinating visions of life in the future.

J. Paul Getty Museum ‘Lumen: The Art & Science of Light’: “Pentecost,” from Benedictional, Ottonian, about 1030–1040. | Photo: Getty Museum

This year’s PST Art event theme is “Art and Science Collide,” and it launched with an “explosion” — a daytime fireworks performance by contemporary artist Cai Guo-Qiang at L.A. Memorial Coliseum on September 15. The mind-boggling array of topics run the gamut from ancient cosmologies to Indigenous sci-fi, sustainable agriculture, AI, biotechnology, and environmental justice.

There are myriad opportunities to connect with PST Art, including here in town. Head to the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara (MCASB) in Paseo Nuevo for Sangre de Nopal/Blood of the Nopal: Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Contemporary Art (Oct. 6–Jan. 12, 2025). Artist Sarah Rosalena, Assistant Professor of Computational Craft in UCSB’s Department of Art, who had an exhibition titled Pointing Star at MCASB in spring 2023, has her work on view in six PST Art exhibitions across Southern California (see story at bit.ly/4efxowD).

We also highly recommend that you head south and even stay for a day or two or longer for deep-dive experiences into the multiverse. A good place to start is the Getty Center in Los Angeles, where you can view eight PST Art installations (the Lumen: The Art and Science of Light exhibition, which explores light sciences in the Middle Ages, is especially enlightening). Nearby, at UCLA in Westwood, the Fowler and Hammer museums and other institutions present Breath [e]: Toward Climate and Social Justice, Science Fiction Against the Margins; Atmosphere of Sound: Sonic Art in Times of Climate Disruption; and Fire Kinship: Southern California Native Ecology and Art.

UCR Arts at the University of California Riverside ‘Digital Capture: Southern California and the Pixel-Based Image World’: “Sin Sol,” 2020, micha cárdenas, Marcelo Viana Neto, Kara Stone, Aviva Avnisan, Morgan Thomas, Dorothy Santos, Wynne Greenwood, Adrian Phillips. Sin Sol, screenshot of Augmented Reality app, 2020, micha cárdenas and the Critical Realities Studio. | Photo: © 2020 micha cárdenas

J. Paul Getty Museum “Alta / a Human Atlas of a City of Angels’: Consuela Francesca Barber-Lopez. i.Detroit – A Human Atlas of an American City, 2020, Marcus Lyon. | Photo: Marcus Lyon / A Human Atlas ©2020 Marcus Lyon

Another great park-and-walk hub is on Wilshire Boulevard, where the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures present PST Art exhibitions in one very walkable area.

You’ll find another fantastic PST Art hub in Griffith Park, at both the Autry Museum of the American West (two exhibitions) and the Griffith Observatory (Pacific Standard Universe film). Other PST Art sites throughout SoCal include Exposition Park, Pasadena, Orange County, and Long Beach, Antelope Valley, and other regions.

Travel farther south to San Diego County to visit exhibitions in Oceanside, La Jolla (Embodied Pacific at the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and satellite sites is particularly fascinating), Balboa Park (San Diego Museum of Art and Mingei International Museum), and other destinations.

In addition to the exhibitions, dozens of cultural, scientific, and community organizations are presenting public events and programs that range from regional art weekends to rocket launches and family festivals. Visit pst.art for details and be sure to check out the calendar of events.

History of PST Art: Beginning in 2019-2020, the Getty granted more than $20 million to teams of artists, curators, and scientists and worked with multiple sponsors to produce PST Art & Science Collide: the largest art event in the U.S.A., and one of the most expansive art events in the world. The first PST (previously called Pacific Standard Time) event, Art in L.A. 1945–1980, took place from October 2011–March 2012, followed by Pacific Standard Time: L.A./L.A. Los Angeles from September 2017 through January 2018.

UC San Diego Visual Arts in partnership with Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography ‘Embodied Pacific’: “Indigenous Stories are All Around You,” 2023, Kilma S. Lattin and Catherine Eng. Extended reality installation view, Beyond the Metaverse with OurWorlds, QI Gallery, Qualcomm Institute, UC San Diego, March 2023. | Photo: Alex Matthews ©UC San Diego Qualcomm Institute

Hotel Angeleno, the circular 17-story building we all see right off the 405 on the way to LAX, has a prime PST Art location close to Getty and UCLA, and a short drive to LACMA. Park the car and take advantage of the hotel’s many perks, including complimentary ride share service to certain locations during certain hours and a rooftop restaurant and bar. For information on where to stay and dine, visit discoverlosangeles.com. See pst.art for a complete list of participating venues and exhibits throughout Southern California.