Dates & times
All times are local to the venue · America/Los Angeles
- 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
MOCA members’ opening brings Cecilia Vicuña and Julian Charrière into conversation with water
Water connects two very different artistic approaches at MOCA Grand Avenue. At the November 14 members’ opening, visitors can preview Cecilia Vicuña’s The Dream of Water: Quipu of Encounters Maricunga and Julian Charrière: Deep End before the exhibitions begin their public runs.
Encounters across water crises
Vicuña’s new commission grows out of a practice of collective action she has developed with communities since the 1960s, in museums and natural sites around the world. Its title draws on quipu, a word derived from the Quechua for “knot.”
The multi-phase project brings artists, young people, scientists and Indigenous water defenders in Chile and Los Angeles into exchanges about water crises in both places. MOCA describes a culminating ritual quipu assembly in Los Angeles, facilitated by Vicuña; it has not listed that assembly as part of the members’ opening.
Further reading: Cecilia Vicuña The Dream of Water: Quipu of Encounters Maricunga | MOCA LA ↗ · Members’ Opening for Cecilia Vicuña The Dream of Water: Quipu of Encounters Maricunga and Julian Charrière: Deep End | MOCA LA ↗
A reef, a voice and geological time
Deep End brings together photography, sculpture, film and new installations from Charrière’s more than decade-long engagement with the natural world. In several works, bitumen, ground coral and deep-seafloor mud connect the exhibition’s concern with extraction to the long geological processes that produce natural materials.
The commissioned Hope Line features a live stream from a coral reef near Port Antonio, Jamaica, heavily affected by the 2023 El Niño bleaching event. MOCA describes an installation where visitors can listen and send their voices into the reef; it has not specified whether that interactive feature will be available at the opening.
A related project, Reefwards, is beginning a feasibility study through the exhibition. It brings underwater land art together with reef restoration and conservation, with input from scientists and other collaborators; it is a study rather than a completed restoration.
Further reading: Julian Charrière: Deep End | MOCA LA ↗ · Members’ Opening for Cecilia Vicuña The Dream of Water: Quipu of Encounters Maricunga and Julian Charrière: Deep End | MOCA LA ↗
After the preview
The two shows are the inaugural exhibitions associated with the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Environment and Art Prize, a juried award for practices engaging art and environmental concerns. Both are scheduled at MOCA Grand Avenue from November 15, 2026, through June 6, 2027.
For a separate visit, MOCA also lists Cecilia Vicuña in conversation with Elizabeth DeLoughrey on November 15, from 3 to 4 p.m. That talk is not part of the members’ opening.
Further reading: Members’ Opening for Cecilia Vicuña The Dream of Water: Quipu of Encounters Maricunga and Julian Charrière: Deep End | MOCA LA ↗ · Cecilia Vicuña The Dream of Water: Quipu of Encounters Maricunga | MOCA LA ↗ · Julian Charrière: Deep End | MOCA LA ↗
Planning the preview
Watch for the member email
MOCA says all members will receive an invitation with event details and an RSVP link. Members are invited to bring a friend; contact the membership department if you need clarification on guest registration.
Confirm the evening time
The opening is listed for November 14, with 6–9 p.m. given in MOCA’s event metadata. Check the emailed invitation for the event details.
Choose a membership level
MOCA lists an Under 30 membership at $30 a year and an individual membership at $79 a year. These are membership prices, not stated opening ticket prices.
Become a Member | MOCA LA ↗ · Members’ Opening for Cecilia Vicuña The Dream of Water: Quipu of Encounters Maricunga and Julian Charrière: Deep End | MOCA LA ↗
Getting to MOCA Grand Avenue
Transit and drop-off
The opening is at MOCA Grand Avenue, 250 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012, not The Geffen Contemporary. MOCA names Grand Ave Arts / Bunker Hill as its nearest Metro station and recommends using the Metro Trip Planner.
A short-term rideshare loading zone is directly outside MOCA Grand Avenue, just past the traffic lights.
Members’ Opening for Cecilia Vicuña The Dream of Water: Quipu of Encounters Maricunga and Julian Charrière: Deep End | MOCA LA ↗ · Plan Your Visit | MOCA LA ↗ · Parking, Public Transit, Bikes & Ride Share at MOCA Grand Avenue | MOCA LA ↗
Parking and bikes
MOCA lists California Plaza parking at 351 S. Olive St. Its entrances are on Olive Street or Lower Grand, between Kosciuszko Way and 4th Street, marked 1 CAL and 2 CAL. MOCA does not validate parking at downtown lots.
A public bike rack is behind the MOCA Box Office, to the left of the MOCA Store entrance.
Parking, Public Transit, Bikes & Ride Share at MOCA Grand Avenue | MOCA LA ↗
Before you make a plan
Can a member bring a guest?
Yes. MOCA invites members to bring a friend, though it has not specified guest-registration steps. Contact the membership department with questions.
What if I cannot attend the preview?
Both exhibitions are scheduled to run from November 15, 2026, through June 6, 2027. General admission to MOCA Grand Avenue is free, and advance reservations are recommended.
Cecilia Vicuña The Dream of Water: Quipu of Encounters Maricunga | MOCA LA ↗ · Julian Charrière: Deep End | MOCA LA ↗ · Plan Your Visit | MOCA LA ↗
What should I do if I do not receive the member invitation?
Contact MOCA’s membership department. Its member FAQ notes that people who are not receiving membership emails may have unsubscribed.
Members’ Opening for Cecilia Vicuña The Dream of Water: Quipu of Encounters Maricunga and Julian Charrière: Deep End | MOCA LA ↗ · MOCA Member FAQs | MOCA LA ↗
Location & Google Maps
MOCA Grand Avenue
250 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles
Map search by venue and address. Check the organiser’s entrance details before travelling.