José Luis Blondet, left, and Michael Wellen are the new co-curators of Made in L.A. 2027. (photo courtesy of the Hammer Museum)

The Hammer Museum has named Michael Wellen and José Luis Blondet as co-curators of Made in L.A. 2027, the next edition of its biennial exhibition highlighting artists living and working throughout the greater Los Angeles area.

Scheduled to open in fall 2027, Made in L.A. 2027 will be the eighth installment of the exhibition series, which since 2012 has showcased new and recent work by artists across the region while introducing audiences to emerging and underrepresented voices in Southern California’s contemporary art scene.

The announcement marks one of Wellen’s first major initiatives since becoming the Hammer Museum’s chief curator in April. He joins Blondet, senior curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, in organizing the upcoming exhibition.

“For more than a decade the Made in L.A. biennial has been a convergence point for artists in Los Angeles,” Hammer Museum Director Zoë Ryan said. “I am excited to watch Michael and José Luis develop an exhibition that will draw on the current dynamism and artistic legacies of this city. Both curators have a track record of working closely with artists and creating exhibitions with insightful frameworks that center their ideas.”

Wellen joined the Hammer after serving as senior curator of international art at Tate Modern in London, where he organized major exhibitions devoted to artists including Takis, Lubaina Himid, Philip Guston and Ana Mendieta. He also oversaw collection installations and collaborated with numerous contemporary artists on exhibitions and performances. Before moving to the United Kingdom, Wellen served as assistant curator of Latin American and Latino art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Blondet has served as senior curator at MOCA since 2025, organizing exhibitions including Olafur Eliasson: OPEN, MOCA Focus: Ana Segovia and Fictions of Display. His upcoming projects include exhibitions by Alexander Apóstol and Cecilia Vicuña. Prior to joining MOCA, Blondet spent 13 years at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, where he organized exhibitions, commissions and performance projects with artists working across a wide range of disciplines.

Originally from Caracas, Venezuela, Blondet has also curated exhibitions for institutions including Museo Tamayo in Mexico City, SITE Santa Fe in New Mexico and CAPC Musée d’Art Contemporain in Bordeaux, France. Earlier in his career, he held positions at the Dia Art Foundation and the Museo de Bellas Artes de Caracas.

The Hammer’s Made in L.A. biennial has become one of the region’s most prominent surveys of contemporary art, offering a snapshot of Los Angeles’ evolving creative landscape every two years. Each edition pairs a Hammer curator with another curator who has strong ties to the city’s arts community, reflecting the collaborative nature of Los Angeles’ cultural institutions.

Additional details, including participating artists and exhibition dates, will be announced at a later date.

The Hammer Museum is located at 10899 Wilshire Blvd.

For information, visit hammer. ucla.edu.