Protests Against ICE Continue, Leaving Geffen Contemporary at MOCA Los Angeles Shut Down
In the heart of Los Angeles, the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles (MOCA) has become a focal point for ongoing protests and artistic resistance against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). While no immediate protests have taken place at the MOCA site, the city is buzzing with a strong "No Ice" movement, expressed through art, murals, and public demonstrations.
The area around MOCA is currently under a curfew that begins at 8 p.m., and the ongoing protests have led to the deployment of the National Guard and numerous arrests, including over 200 people last night for violating curfew, according to Mayor Karen Bass.
The museum's Grand Avenue building remains open, despite the closure of the Geffen Contemporary space since Sunday. The closure will continue through the weekend, leading to the postponement of the durational performance by Nadya Tolokonnikova at the Geffen Contemporary space.
Tolokonnikova, a member of the Russian collective Pussy Riot, staged a performance called POLICE STATE at the Geffen Contemporary space. In a unique twist, she transformed a part of the space into a prison cell-like area, lined with art created by Russians, Belarusians, and Americans who were previously incarcerated.
One of the most significant symbols in the current protests is the 1990 mural Untitled (Questions) by Barbara Kruger, commissioned by MOCA and exhibited permanently at the Geffen Contemporary. The text on the mural reads, "Who is beyond the law? Who is bought and sold? Who is free to choose? Who does the time? Who follows orders? Who salutes longest? Who prays loudest? Who dies first? Who laughs last?"
In a Los Angeles Times piece about the significance of Untitled (Questions), Kruger commented on the protests, stating, "This provocation is giving Trump what he wants: the moment he can declare martial law. As if that's not already in play."
Despite the ongoing protests and the closure of the Geffen Contemporary space, Tolokonnikova remains active. She has taken to MOCA's Instagram, writing, "see you on the streets this Saturday," followed by a chain emoji, a police car emoji, and a fire emoji. She also wrote, "migrants make America great."
The momentum of protest around ICE in LA is sustained and strongly linked with visual art as a prominent vehicle for expression and community organizing, which likely impacts areas near major cultural institutions like MOCA. This includes large-scale murals and visual campaigns by artist collectives such as Crenshaw Dairy Mart, which reinterprets the ICE logo in creative public displays that are impossible to ignore.
The protests in LA began on Friday and have been met with a variety of responses, including public events like a "24-hour community stoppage" in response to immigration raids, demonstrating continuous grassroots mobilization against ICE policies in the city. However, specific details about proximity to MOCA in these instances were not found.
As the protests continue, MOCA and the Geffen Contemporary space remain at the centre of the artistic and political dialogue in Los Angeles.
- The Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles (MOCA) has become a hub for artistic resistance against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with protests and demonstrations expressing the "No Ice" movement.
- The ongoing protests have led to the deployment of the National Guard and numerous arrests, including over 200 people for violating curfew, according to Mayor Karen Bass.
- Nadya Tolokonnikova, a member of the Russian collective Pussy Riot, had planned a performance at the Geffen Contemporary space titled POLICE STATE, but the space has been closed due to the protests, causing the performance to be postponed.
- The 1990 mural Untitled (Questions) by Barbara Kruger, exhibited permanently at the Geffen Contemporary, has taken on significant symbolism in the current protests, with Kruger commenting that the ongoing demonstrations could give President Trump the opportunity to declare martial law.
