Hammer Projects: Mike Cloud

Hammer Museum, Wilshire Boulevard 10899, 90024, Los Angeles

March 28, 2026 – January 10, 2027

Mike Cloud, a Chicago-based artist, addresses contemporary social and political issues through abstraction. His mixed-media assemblages feature stretcher bars arranged into geometric shapes, with objects embedded in thick oil paint. For his Hammer Project, Cloud will showcase three large, “loosely abstracted portraits” on the lobby wall, including two commissioned works made from paper grocery bags, magazine advertisements, cash, and other printed materials. Additionally, he will present works from his Painted Clothing series (2007–8), which consists of collages made from children’s clothing, exploring the interplay between consumer culture and childhood through visual elements like dragons, fairies, and rainbows. Both series reflect Cloud's extensive experimentation with printmaking, sculpture, and painting throughout his career. This exhibition represents Cloud's first solo museum presentation on the West Coast.