Spread across two locations – MOCA Grand Avenue (across from The Broad and the Walt Disney Concert Hall) and The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA (in Little Tokyo) – the Museum of Contemporary Art simultaneously runs several rotating exhibitions, while maintaining a permanent collection at Grand Avenue.
MOCA Grand Avenue looks and feels more like a traditional art museum, versus The Geffen Contemporary, which is a converted police car warehouse with unusually large, open gallery spaces spread across two floors. The museums’ exhibits vary widely in both style and appeal, with Grand Avenue often focusing on decidedly Southern California/LA-focused themes, and The Geffen Contemporary serving as a space for large-scale and sometimes experimental art, such as a DJ’s exploration of party/after-party effects brought on by loud music and tinnitus, or a European artist’s use of mirrors and lighting to create colorful geometric reflections and patterns. MOCA offers free general admission to its permanent collection, and charges only for specially ticketed exhibitions.
