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The week ahead at SoCal museums, Sept. 23-30: Ai Weiwei, Victor Hugo and more

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Reviews by Leah Ollman (L.O.).

Openings

Nina Chanel Abney: Royal Flush Parallel exhibitions include paintings, watercolors and collages by the Chicago-born artist exploring urban life and our media-saturated world. California African American Museum, 600 State Drive, Exposition Park, L.A. Opens Sun.; ends Jan. 20. Closed Mon. Free. (213) 744-7432. And, The Institute of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, 1717 E. 7th St., L.A. Opens Sun.; ends Jan. 20. Closed Mon.-Tue. Free. (213) 928-0833.

California Bound: Slavery on the New Frontier, 1848–1865 The Golden State’s involvement with slavery in the 19th century is surveyed in photographs, historical documents, etc. (opens Wed.; ends Jan. 21). Also on display: “Los Angeles Freedom Rally, 1963,” recalling Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s address at a civil-rights rally at Wrigley Field in South L.A. (opens Wed.; ends March 3); and “The Notion of Family,” featuring photos and other images of African American families from the 19th century to the present (opens Wed.; ends March 3). California African American Museum, 600 State Drive, Exposition Park, L.A. Opens Wed.; ends Jan. 21. Closed Mon. Free. (213) 744-7432.

Día de los Muertos Altar Display and Art Exhibition Juried show celebrates the Mexican holiday. Museum of Latin American Art, 628 Alamitos Ave., Long Beach. Opens Wed.; ends Nov. 12. Closed Mon.-Tue. $7, $10; under 12, free. (562) 437-1689.

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Stones to Stains: The Drawings of Victor Hugo Works on paper by the famed 19th-century French novelist. UCLA Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood. Opens Thu.; ends Dec. 30. Closed Mon. Free. (310) 443-7000.

Ai Weiwei: Life Cycle New works by the Chinese artist and activist illuminate the global refugee crisis. Marciano Art Foundation, 4357 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Opens Fri.; ends March 3. Closed Sun.-Tue. Free; advance reservations required. (424) 204-7555.

Auto-Didactic: The Juxtapoz School New exhibition showcases art works and custom cars seen in Juxtapoz Magazine. The Petersen Automotive Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Opens Sat.; ends June 2019. Open 7 days. $7-$15. (323) 930-2277.

Kings, Queens & Castles Kid-friendly exhibit celebrates the game of chess. Kidseum, 1802 N. Main St., Santa Ana. Opens Sat.; ends Jan. 13. Closed Mon.-Fri. $8; under 3, free. (714) 480-1520.

Regeneración: Three Generations of Revolutionary Ideology Exhibit explores the intersection of art and and activism between the U.S. and Mexico in three different eras. Vincent Price Art Museum, East Los Angeles College, 1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez, Monterey Park. Opens Sat.; ends Feb. 16. Closed Sun.-Mon. Free. (323) 265-8841.

B. Wurtz: This Has No Name First major U.S. museum survey of the New York-based sculptor’s works. The Institute of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, 1717 E. 7th St., L.A. Opens next Sun.; ends Jan. 27. Closed Mon.-Tue. Free. (213) 928-0833.

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Daydreaming by Uzumaki Cepeda Installation by the L.A.-based artist explores the concept of a safe and happy childhood. Also on display: “Merion Estes: Unnatural Disasters,” featuring paintings on the subject of environmental crises; and “Sherin Guirguis: Of Thorns and Love,” the L.A.-based artist’s salute to Egyptian writer and activist Doria Shafik. Craft & Folk Art Museum, 5814 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Opens next Sun.; ends Jan. 6. Closed Mon. $5, $7; veterans, active military and children under 10, free. (323) 937-4230.

Recommended

The Incongruous Body Humor and the human body serve as brackets loosely containing the sculptural work in this 14-person show. Not all here is comic, and not everything manages to muster heat from the rub of expectation against direct experience — curator Tim Berg’s organizing principle — but the show has enough radiant moments to redeem the whole. Standouts include works by Kim Tucker, Kristen Morgin, Jeremy Brooks, Elana Mann and Robert Arneson. (L.O.) AMOCA, 399 N. Garey Ave., Pomona. Open Wed.-Sat. Ends Jan. 20. $5, $7; 12 and under, free. (909) 865-3146.

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