09/17/2025
What we’re looking at: Nancy Buchanan at The Brick in Los Angeles.
“Truthfully, Nancy Buchanan: A Retrospective” presents the lifelong artistic journey of Nancy Buchanan within the Los Angeles community. Beginning in the 1970s, Buchanan’s multimedia practice spanning performance, installation, and painting, navigates her layered interests in feminism, politics, and environmentalism. Each gallery room highlights a distinct theme, brought to life through works such as miniature suburban houses, chocolate-coated bones in a heart-shaped box, and an immersive room filled with synthetic hair. Buchanan’s enigmatic and rebellious spirit shines through in the carefully orchestrated interplay of texture, vibrant imagery, and text.
Curated by Buchanan’s former student, artist Laura Owens, alongside The Brick’s Catherine Taft, the retrospective features a fearless female gaze that shifts and swirls throughout the exhibition, keeping viewers engaged at every turn. Bold and unflinching, the show offers both a reflection on restrictive histories and a provocation toward material futures.