Vamba Bility is a multidisciplinary artist whose work echoes the experience of the African diaspora. Having journeyed from Côte d’Ivoire to Guinea to the United States, Bility perceives this contested way of living as a blur, albeit one that is deeply intimate. In his hands, this blurred sensibility becomes a fluid movement that draws on various material histories. He expresses the reverberating motions of his existence by leaning on and weaving together mediums and materials such as painting, textiles, found objects, and sound. A cracked calabash gets sewn together. A torn canvas gets stitched as a salve. A painting is propped up by a brick or two. All of this is a form of mark-making that structures the landscape of diaspora as a material residue of atmosphere, of feeling, of process. Bility threads this through a shared poiesis—a bringing forth, a revelation—that sketches out an architecture of what it means to be.
- This event has passed.
Hammer Projects: Vamba Bility
:Upcoming Events
JAPANESE GARDEN – KOI POND AT SOUTH COAST BOTANIC GARDENS
Listen to the calming sounds of water and take in the subdued palette of evergreen shrubbery embracing the Koi Pond. The garden features stone lanterns crafted of Okazaki stone over 200 years ago and a bonsai display maintained by the South Coast Bonsai Association. Adults – $15, Seniors 65 and over and Students with ID – $11, Children (5 to 12 years) – $5, Foundation members and children under 4 – Free, Entry on the third Tuesday of each…
WATTS WILLOWBROOK FARMERS’ MARKET AT MLK CAMPUS
Watts Willowbrook Farmers’ Market, in collaboration with the MLK Outpatient Center, opened in November 2023. The market will serve a diverse customer base and continue to grow in both attendance and reputation as a market that is outstanding in the quality of the fresh food that is offered weekly. Open Weekly on Wednesdays, 9:00 am – 2:00 pm
JAPANESE GARDEN AT DESCANSO GARDENS
Explore this tranquil Japanese-style garden that blends design elements from four classic garden styles. Cross an arched bridge and walk on shaded paths along a koi-filled stream to the teahouse. General – $15, Seniors 65 and over and Students with ID – $11, Children (5 to 12 years) – $5, Descanso members and children under 5 – Free
The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens
Explore living collections of orchids and camellias, a botanical conservatory, a fragrant rose garden, a children’s garden, and more, in 16 themed gardens spread over 120 acres. All visitors, including members, must reserve tickets online in advance. Open Daily, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Closed on Tuesdays
Outside the Mainstream
Adjacent to John Waters: Pope of Trash, in the Warner Bros. Gallery, the Academy Museum presents Outside the Mainstream, an installation that pays homage to the work of other radically independent filmmakers—such as Kenneth Anger, Shirley Clarke, Jack Smith, Andy Warhol, Gregg Araki, Todd Haynes, and Rose Troche—who operate beyond the pale of mainstream cinema. The gallery focuses on examples from the American avant-garde, underground film, and New Queer Cinema movements, united by how forward-thinking film journalists including Jonas Mekas…