Cal State LA’s Ronald H. Silverman Fine Arts Gallery to showcase work of renowned Los Angeles artist Betye Saar’s Mojo Rising curated by jill moniz, highlighting Betye Saar’s influence and inspiration on two generations of L.A. artists: Alison Saar, Lezley Saar, Kerry James Marshall, Sarah Perry, John Outterbridge, David Hammons, Tanya Aguiñiga, Kelly Berg, Lavialle Campbell, Kendall Carter, Carolina Caycedo, Chelsea Dean, Keiko Fukazawa, Yrneh Gabon, Todd Gray, Regina Herod, Maddy Inez Leeser, Michael Levell, Lilah Lutes, Rodney McMillian, Rosalyn Myles, Echiko Ohira, Miguel Osuna, Duane Paul, Emma Robbins, Cordellus Smith Abadachi, Lisa Diane Wedgeworth, Monica Wyatt and Brenna Youngblood.
Nearly 50 years ago, Cal State LA exhibited Betye Saar’s first survey exhibition, Betye Saar: Selected Works 1964-1973, which included Mojo Handbag (1970), Nine Mojo Secrets (1971) and Rainbow Mojo (1972), and other objects that showcased her attention on mysticism. Betye Saar is still a conjurer who uses diverse cultural iconography to ritualize recycling, investigate identity and contest how and where we find beauty. Today, with this new exhibition, moniz reflects on Saar’s ongoing legacy, specifically how her transformative visual language has made space for artists to reimagine materials in new contexts and create work centered on the poetics of time, race and gender.
Mojo Rising features Saar’s ongoing mojo focus, and local artists who are inspired by these ideas to create cultural narratives and engaging objects that challenge normalizing tropes, and reveal practices influenced by Saar’s ceaseless commitment to making, sharing, teaching and encouraging artists in Los Angeles and beyond.
Dr. jill moniz, Independent Curator, Principal, Quotidian, Los Angeles
Dr. Mika Cho, Director, Ronald H. Silverman Fine Arts Gallery
Read More About This Exhibition
Installation Images
Photo Credit: Gareth Mackay












Featured Artists
Betye Saar with Alison Saar, Lezley Saar, Kerry James Marshall, Sarah Perry, John Outterbridge, David Hammons, Tanya Aguiñiga, Kelly Berg, Lavialle Campbell, Kendall Carter, Carolina Caycedo, Chelsea Dean, Keiko Fukazawa, Yrneh Gabon, Todd Gray, Regina Herod, Maddy Inez Leeser, Michael Levell, Lilah Lutes, Rodney McMillian, Rosalyn Myles, Echiko Ohira, Miguel Osuna, Duane Paul, Emma Robbins, Cordellus Smith Abadachi, Lisa Diane Wedgeworth, Monica Wyatt and Brenna Youngblood
Betye Saar
“Lucky Mojo”, 1991
Mixed Media Collage on Textile, Courtesy of Roberts Projects Gallery, Culver City.






“Trickster (mojo)”, 1994
Mixed Media Installation, Courtesy of Roberts Projects Gallery, Culver City.




“Floating Figure with 7 Spades”, 1977
Mixed Media on Fabric, Collection of Friends, the Foundation of the California African American Museum. Gift of the Wives of the Bench and the Bar, Courtesy of the California African American Museum.






“For Rosey”, 1976
Mixed Media Collage, Collection of the California African Museum. Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Leon O. Banks, Courtesy of the California African American Museum.






“Mojo Eyes (Spirit Door)”, 1992
Mixed Media Assemblage, Courtesy of Roberts Projects Gallery, Culver City.






“TITLE”, DATE
Description
“TITLE”, DATE
Description
Alison Saar

Alison Saar, "Thistle and Twitch" 2013, Mixed Media (Paper, Glue, Acrylics and Copper & Found Brambles), Courtesy of L.A. Louver Gallery, Los Angeles





Lezley Saar

Lezley Saar, "Paonne" 2019, Mixed Media, Courtesy of Walter Maciel Gallery, Los Angeles








Kerry James Marshall

Kerry James Marshall, "Revolution Dinner Plates" 1998, Ceramic Plates, Collection Lyndon & Janine Barrois





David Hammons

David Hammons, Hardcore Unemployed, 1968, Body Print, Courtesy of the California African American Museum





John Outterbridge

John Outterbridge, "22 Rhymes" 1998, Mixed Media Installation, Courtesy of the California African American Museum





Sarah Perry

Sarah Perry, "Twister" 2005, Bones in Glass and Bronze, Collection of Laura Lee Stearns





Tanya Aguiñiga

Tanya Aguiñiga, "Feminine Occult" 2018, Mixed Media Assemblage, Courtesy of Volume Gallery, Chicago





Kelly Berg

Kelly Berg, "Triangulation" 2020, Acrylic on Canvas, Courtesy of Craig Krull Gallery, Los Angeles





Lavialle Campbell

Lavialle Campbell, "Meditation 1" 2020, Cotton and Felted Wool, Courtesy of the Artist





Kendall Carter

Kendell Carter, "Cranes for Solange" 2017, Mixed Media Assemblage, Courtesy of the California African American Museum





Carolina Caycedo

Carolina Caycedo, "The Leap/El salto" 2017, Mixed Media Collage, Courtesy of the Artist and Commonwealth and Council Gallery, Los Angeles



Carolina Caycedo, "Vocabulary Infrastructure/Vocabulario e infrastructura (after the Distance Plan)" 2017, Marker on 10 Banknotes, Courtesy of the Artist and Commonwealth and Council Gallery, Los Angeles





Chelsea Dean






Keiko Fukazawa






Yrneh Gabon






Todd Gray






Regina Herod






Maddy Inez Leeser






Michael Levell






Lilah Lutes






Rodney McMillian






Rosalyn Myles






Echiko Ohira






Miguel Osuna






Duane Paul






Emma Robbins






Cordellus Smith Abadachi

Cordellus Smith Abadachi, "Spirit Box" 2016, Ceramic, Courtesy of the Artist





Lisa Diane Wedgeworth

Lisa Diane Wedgeworth, "Hex Be Gone" 2020, Acrylic on Canvas, Courtesy of the Artist





Monica Wyatt




Monica Wyatt, "Hanging by a Moment" 2020, Mixed Media, Courtesy of the Artist


Brenna Youngblood

Brenna Youngblood, "Mega Diamond" 2011, Mixed Media, Courtesy of Honor Fraser Gallery, Los Angeles




