Nearly two decades ago, while she was an architecture student at El Camino College, Lauren Halsey began envisioning a sculpture park for the South Central Los Angeles neighborhood where she grew up. Finally, that sculpture park is here and now open to the public.
The park was curated by Christine Y. Kim and organized by the arts organization Los Angeles Nomadic Division, and was officially named An architectural ode to the prosperity and profligacy of South Central Los Angeles by visionary sisters Lauren Halsey. In many ways, it’s the grandest expression of Halsey’s desire to fuse past and present, to create a future where, as she once put it, “black people can experience themselves differently without feeling pressured by certain oppressive forces.”
Halsey has exhibited projects elsewhere, most notably at the 2018 Made in Los Angeles Biennial at the Hammer Museum, where she received top honors. This was followed by displays on the roof of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and outside the Armory during the 2024 Venice Biennale. But unlike those projects dreamer sister Free and open to the public and not held within the confines of an arts institution. It is designed to serve the community by one of its members.
Next, let’s take a look inside the sculpture park.
-
Image source: Photo Allen Chen/@_h_studio
dreamer sister The story takes place on the site of Gwen’s Ice Cream, which was a nearby tourist attraction before it was destroyed in a fire in 2014.
-
Image source: Photo Allen Chen/@_h_studio
Like many of Halsey’s other projects, the sculpture park draws on ancient Egyptian art, paying homage to ancient objects such as the goddess Hathor. But Halsey’s work often has a contemporary feel: One of her sphinxes, for example, wears sunglasses.
-
Image source: Photo Allen Chen/@_h_studio
The pillars are engraved with human silhouettes and brand logos that are well known to locals in South Central. Some of the pillars are also engraved with ancient Egyptian symbols, such as the ankh seen here.
-
Image source: Photo Allen Chen/@_h_studio
Located in the center dreamer sister According to Halsey, this is a structure that Halsey calls an “eye.” Los Angeles Times Last week’s report. The structure is engraved with similar symbols to those on the pillars.
-
Image source: Photo Allen Chen/@_h_studio
In Oculus, one can find images and text references to the Grim Sleeper, a serial killer who targeted black women from the 1980s to the 2000s. A focus on women is common for Halsey, whose columnar sculptures on display at the 2024 Venice Biennale pay homage to her grandmother as well as female activists and artists.
-
Image source: Photo Allen Chen/@_h_studio
dreamer sister It will kick off with programming organized by the Broad Museum and Halsey’s own nonprofit Summaeverythang. While the unit is currently housed there temporarily, it could be moved to a permanent space next year, according to the agency. Los Angeles Times.
