We open our new cultural complex located in the heart of Long Beach with a newly commissioned experiential installation by artist Glenn Kaino. The Laboratory at Compound is a site for artistic experimentation. It is a place for art to interface directly with the public with the intention of supporting artists in realizing innovative ideas according to their vision. Compound is invested in creating intimate encounters between new art and new audiences.

Art in our political present can be read as a call to arms, gesturing to what the late curator Okwui Enwezor considered “a change agenda.” Compound proposes that a cultural space for the community is a place in which to act, educate, and illuminate artistic ideas and ideals, particularly at this critical cultural moment.

The first Sculpture Garden installation in the courtyard at Compound features ceramic works by Anna Sew Hoy. Composed of stoneware and mirror, these sculptures represent abstract forms that ambiguously evoke the body and create a space of reflection, protection, and openness.