Sigils

Unveiling the Sacred in the MOLAA Permanent Collection

Starting October 4, 2026

To celebrate MOLAA’s 30th anniversary, this exhibition highlights artworks from the Permanent Collection that explore the diverse spiritual traditions that enrich the cultures of Latin America and the Caribbean. From the religious presence of Christianity, Judaism, and Santería, to the esoteric mysticism of the occult, these practices aim to connect to something beyond the natural world.

Latin America is home to a constellation of complex belief processes shaped by syncretism, transculturation, conversion, and the transmission of ancestral knowledge. These systems often evolved and transformed over time in response to colonial violence, all while remaining connected to the divine.

The artists in Sigils: Unveiling the Sacred in the MOLAA Permanent Collection come from a variety of backgrounds, and their relationships to the spiritual are not always straightforward. While some aim to reflect devotion in their artistic expression, others explore cultural nuances in relation to social and political ideas. When placed in conversation with one another, these artists represent a spectrum of belief, doubt, and all that resides in between.

This exhibition seeks to promote dialogue between artists who engage with the body, nature, iconography, ritual, and the afterlife. The artworks function as sigils, or magical emblems, that evoke and invoke the sacred. They unveil the profound history and contemporary presence of spirituality in the region, and in doing so, invite viewers to contemplate their own metaphysical existence.

This exhibition is co-curated by IMLS fellows Kendall da Silva (UCI), Jorge Gallegos Hernandez (CSULB), and Maria Gabriela Tapia (CSULB) in collaboration with Chief Curator Gabriela Urtiaga.

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS