David Medalla
In Conversation with the Cosmos
The Hammer Museum
Los Angeles
Jun 9–Sep 15

Dedicated to the experimental works of the late Filipino artist David Medalla (1938–2020), “In Conversation with the Cosmos” is the artist’s first survey in the United States. Known for his influence on the mid-1960s and ’70s British avant-garde art scene, Medalla forged an eclectic practice encompassing kinetic installations (including bubble-machine sculptures), performance, and participatory art. The exhibition brings together works from the late 1950s until shortly before his passing, and throughout his career he explored themes of impermanence and change. Among the projects on view are Kumbum Banners (1972), an annotated archive of Philippine newspapers; the photograph Psychic Self-Defense (1983), where Medalla poses in front of London’s Big Ben in a way to show his resistance against a crew of hired thugs that was terrorizing various London squats; and Lava Machine (1962), an abstract acrylic painting of a biomorphic subject on paper.

Pacita Abad
Underwater Wilderness
Tina Kim Gallery
New York
Jun 27–Aug 16

“Underwater Wilderness” presents eight monumental trapuntos (stuffed quilting) by the late Filipina American artist Pacita Abad (1946–2004). The second solo exhibition of her work at Tina Kim Gallery will showcase selected works created between 1985 and 1989 that feature her signature technique of layering stitched and padded canvases with paint, textiles, and various objects. The collection is part of a series inspired by Abad’s scuba diving experiences across the Philippines, presenting works such as Shallow Gardens of Apo Reef (1986) with yellow and red fan coral, the richly textured Dumaguete’s Underwater Garden (1987), the cool-blue scene of colorful fish in Hundred Islands (1989), and the fiery red school of fish in The Far Side of Apo Island (1989). This is the first time the works have been reunited in New York since their showcase at the Philippine Center in 1987.

The Larva of Time
Institute of Contemporary Arts at New York University Shanghai
Shanghai
Jun 21–Aug 24

“The Larva of Time” is a curatorial and research project by Shanghai-based artist Guo Cheng, Hangzhou-based artist Zhang Wenxin, and scientists Bai Shunong and Zhang Wei. Curated by Berggruen fellow Iris Long, the exhibition features 11 works that investigate the unseen temporal links between art and science. The mixed-media artworks in the exhibition range from sculptures, installations, and images to films and soundscapes, including Zhang’s Embryonic River (2024), which shows ophiolites lined up before a television in an exploration of temporality, and Guo’s Niche Squatter series (2024) infused with technology and insects, conceived alongside their scientist counterparts. In partnership with the Institute of Contemporary Arts at New York University Shanghai, the exhibition is part of the “Creative Futures” initiative at Peking University’s Berggruen Research Center, encouraging collaboration through interdisciplinary questions about biodiversity, evolution, and time.

Julie Rrap
Past Continuous
Museum of Contemporary Art Australia
Sydney
Jun 28–Feb 16, 2025

For “Past Continuous,” the museum’s assistant curator Lucy Latella assembles a survey of the works of Sydney-based Julia Rrap, who has been a major figure in the Australian contemporary art scene since the mid-1970s. Rrap examines the representation of the female body in Western culture and media, interrogating the imagery of older women, including herself, as the subject in her photography, paintings, sculptures, videos, and performances. The exhibition’s highlights include Disclosures: A Photographic Construct (1982), a series of 70 black-and-white photographs and semi-nude self-portraits taken in the artist’s studio, set against more recent works like the bronze sculpture SOMOS (Standing On My Own Shoulders) (2024), which depicts an aged, naked Rrap propping up her body double.

The Great Manual of (Post)Human Anatomy
Hanart
Hong Kong
Jul 13–Aug 3

The human body often undergoes “fusion,” “transformation,” and “infection” triggered by encounters with mechanical and technological phenomena, or even interactions with natural organisms. Co-curated by two-person team DA, comprising Dia Yu and Abby Chen, this group exhibition features the work of 14 artists in response to the Chinese medical manual A New Theory of the Body (1851) by China-based British physician Benjamin Hobson. The seminal textbook subverted traditional Chinese medical theories, offering a new, Western-inspired perspective on human anatomy. Anchored in a posthumanist interpretation of the text, the show examines our relationship with our bodies, machines, and the idea of “otherness” amid the rise of biotechnology and artificial intelligence to reconceptualize the body as open and pluralistic. 

Chelsea Ryoko Wong
Nostalgia for the Present Tense
Jessica Silverman
San Francisco
Jul 25–Sep 7

San Francisco-based painter and muralist Chelsea Ryoko Wong’s solo exhibition commemorates past times and present laughter. Wong’s practice celebrates the joys of cultural diversity and communal unity through her vibrant depictions of leisurely activities in Californian neighborhoods. Drawn from both memory and imagination, her stylized figures are seen swimming in shimmering waters, engaged in a lively game of mahjong, or enjoying an afternoon tea with friends. The exhibition will showcase several of Wong’s recent works, including A Sweet Sanctuary, depicting a peaceful retreat and the seaside sunset hangout in Being Present. These charming, picturesque scenes propose spending time with others in natural settings as key to “keeping chaos at bay.”

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