Inside The 2022 MOCA Gala With Keanu Reeves, Eva Longoria & More

Photo Credit: Owen Kolasinski, BFA.com

he Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) celebrated its 2022 Gala at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA on June 4, with over 600 patrons, artists, and entertainment figures in attendance. Marking the closing weekend of the exhibition Pipilotti Rist: Big Heartedness, Be My Neighbor. The evening raised over $2.9 million for the museum’s operations and was the first MOCA Gala under the leadership of The Maurice Marciano Director of MOCA, Johanna Burton. The event also toasted the Los Angeles-based artists featured in MOCA’s upcoming fall and winter season; Judith F. Baca, Garrett Bradley, Simone Forti, Tala Madani, and Henry Taylor.

Photo Credit: Owen Kolasinski, BFA.com

The evening began with a cocktail reception, followed by an exhibition viewing of Pipilotti Rist: Big Heartedness, Be My Neighbor, the first West Coast survey of the renowned artist’s work, as well as the exhibition Lonesome Crowded West: Works from MOCA‘s Collection.

Photo Credit: Jojo Korsh, BFA.com

As the dinner began, remarks were initiated by Seferian and Burton. MOCA’s Fall and Winter exhibitions were also celebrated, each by a Los Angeles-based artist. Judith F. Baca: World Wall, Garrett Bradley: American Rhapsody, and Tala Madani: Biscuits open at MOCA Geffen on September 10, 2022. At MOCA Grand Avenue, Henry Taylor: B Side, opens on November 6, 2022 and Simone Forti opens in January 2023. MOCA Trustees, staff, and guests participated in Pipilotti Rist’s performance Humming Neighbors, an interactive moment that brought the crowd together in sound.

Photo Credit: Owen Kolasinski, BFA.com

Following dinner was a performance by Grammy award-winning musician Chance the Rapper. He performed his hit single “Blessings” as well as his most recent releases “Child of God” and “A Bar About A Bar,” the first two pieces from his forthcoming interdisciplinary art project exploring the relationship between music, cinema, and contemporary art.

Photo Credit: Jojo Korsh/BFA.com, courtesy of MOCA

The 2022 Gala featured a variety of prominent guests and figures from the entertainment, design, film, and music industries. In attendance was performer Chance the Rapper, joined by entertainment figures including, among many others, George Bianchini, Christina Hendricks, Lisa Love, Keanu Reeves and Eva Longoria; artists and art world figures including Doug Aitken, Kelly Akashi, Tanya Bonakdar, Andrea Bowers, Karon Davis, Anat Ebgi, rafa esparza, Ron Finley, Francesca Gabbiani, Charles Gaines, Daniel T. Gaitor-Lomack, Michael Govan, Alexandra Grant, Trulee Hall, Lauren Halsey, Alex Israel, Patrick Jackson, Christine Sun Kim, Tala Madani, Paul McCarthy, Julien Nguyen, Lari Pittman, William Pope.L, Shaun Caley Regen, Pipliotti Rist, Max Hooper Schneider, Martine Syms, Henry Taylor, Mary Weatherford, Jordan Wolfson, and Anicka.

Photo Credit: Jojo Korsh, BFA.com