Patssi Valdez: LA LA LA
“LA LA LA presents Patssi Valdez’s first solo exhibition in more than a decade, offering renewed attention to the artist's celebrated œuvre. The exhibition brings together photographic works alongside collaborations with rafa esparza and Gabriela Ruiz in an intergenerational exchange that emphasizes the exuberance of brown artists in contemporary practice. Experimental in nature, Valdez’s works capture the vitality and energy of Los Angeles, reflecting the city as both subject and creative catalyst throughout her career.”
– Marco Antonio Flores, Curator-at-Large at the AltaMed Art Collection
LA LA LA features multimedia artworks by Patssi Valdez (b. 1951) that center the splendor of Los Angeles - spanning from the late 1970s to the present. Well known for her opulent paintings of interior spaces and paper fashion installations, Valdez is also a founding member of Asco, a Chicano performance and conceptual art group. Valdez was born and raised in East Los Angeles, and the exhibition works capture her focus on the beauty, glamor, and jouissance of the underground Chicano and Latino communities amid which she grew up. Through audio clips and found objects, LA LA LA will create an immersive environment that encapsulates the artist's imagination and brown worldmaking.
The exhibition refocuses attention on Valdez's artistic beginnings as a photographer, shedding light on the relationship between her experiments on paper and her works in other media, including collage, installation, and photography. Along with recent works, including Downtown LA I (1983/2026), the exhibition will feature iconic glamorous creations from Valdez's career such as Take One (Black Diamond Edition) (2026). LA LA LA will also feature new pieces created by rafa esparza (b. 1981) and Gabriela Ruiz (b. 1991) in collaboration with Valdez, reflectingthe abundance of brown exuberance that characterizes the city of Los Angeles. This show contemplates the artists' experimental practices inspired by urban life and visions for a brown future.
Many of the selected works in LA LA LA rely on the dimensionality of paper to portray depth, form, and style. Photographs, such as Andrea Out of the Ashes (2024), are cut, torn, and pasted anew, highlighting Valdez's propensity for depicting images of transformation. Her vibrant colors paired with black reveal the intensity of Valdez's technique, as glimmers of Swarovski crystals accentuate her artistic preference for making something fabulous. Even as a photographer, Valdez preferred to "manipulate the images because [she was] not satisfied with the reality which is reflected in straight photography." Ultimately, the works champion her commitment to accentuate brown beauty.
LA LA LA is curated by Marco Antonio Flores, with the assistance of Ray Fernandez.
