The Los Angeles County Museum of Art has hired Diana Nawi as curator of contemporary art, starting this month.
Nawi has worked independently for many years and has organized several acclaimed U.S. biennials in the past five years, including Made in Los Angeles at the Hammer Museum in 2023 (with Pablo José Ramirez) and Prospect.5 in New Orleans in 2022 (with Naima J. Keith). She has also curated solo exhibitions for artists such as Mark Bradford, Michael Rakowitz, Adler Greer, Haroon Mirza, John Akinfara, and Shana Luckett.
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Nawi has served as a curator at the Perez Art Museum Miami, the Guggenheim Museum New York, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. Most recently, she served as a guest curator and curatorial consultant at the Museum of Contemporary Art Austin and as a curatorial consultant for public art projects at Orange Barrel Media, a company founded by Art News Top 200 collector Pete Scantland. Earlier this year, she organized the inaugural exhibition of the Olivia Foundation in Mexico City.
In an email Art NewsNawi said: “I first visited LACMA when I was an undergraduate at UCLA. [director] Michael Govan’s leadership provided several models that I have referred to throughout my career for how to keep museums relevant, accessible, and adaptable. On a personal note, the LACMA exhibition had a profound impact on my thinking.”
Nave’s appointment comes as the LACMA prepares to open a new building that will display centuries of art simultaneously. (The Peter Zumthor-designed building, now called the David Geffen Gallery, is expected to be completed later this year.) Nave joins Rita González, head of the contemporary art department, Dijendra Lawson, assistant curator, and two curatorial assistants.
“I’m particularly excited to be working with Rita González, who has been writing and rewriting art history in ways that are transforming our field,” Nawi said. “Also, this is my first opportunity to situate contemporary conversations and artworks within the larger, longer trajectory of transnational, Indigenous, diasporic, and local art and culture—an interesting new context for me.”
“Diana is known for her deep knowledge and connections with Southern California artists and her illustrious history of organizing international biennials, public art programs, and museum exhibitions,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “She will work with Dejandra Lawson and me to oversee the extensive and growing collection of contemporary art and strengthen its presence on the LACMA campus.”
