Project Description

Using archival drawings of the Saban Theatre (once the Fox Wilshire Theatre) designed by renowned architect S. Charles Lee, the artist inverted architectural blueprints by rendering the background a vibrant blue with buildings outlined in a chalky white. Historic photos and drawings of the theatre’s interiors are interwoven with striking textile patterns drawn from the many cultures that shape the surrounding neighborhoods. The unexpected pairing recontextualizes both structure and pattern, inviting viewers to consider the region’s history of migration and cultural layering over time and shaped alongside the grandeur of landmark architecture. 

To share the ideas behind his artwork commission, Gray hosted a panel discussion at the Deco Building/HEXI with Los Angeles-based architects Sarah Lorenzen and Peter Tolkin of TOLO Architecture. Gray gave a presentation about his artwork commission and how it was inspired by the Saban Theatre, located across the street from Wilshire/La Cienega Station. The architects spoke about the history of architecture in Los Angeles and the social factors that influenced the development of the Wilshire Corridor as a major east/west connector through the developing region. 

Artist Statement

“Historically, the culture of Los Angeles and the American Dream was transmitted globally through film. The representation of the American Dream in cinema was dominated by images of [the] majority culture, and images of minority cultures and communities were rare. I’ve collaged images into my design to engage this narrative and paint a broader, more inclusive cultural picture.”

About the Artist

TODD GRAY (b. 1954, Los Angeles) combines layered, framed photographs to recontextualize images. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts from the California Institute of the Arts. His artwork has been featured in numerous exhibitions and is in the permanent collections of the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and the Studio Museum in Harlem. He was previously professor emeritus of photography and digital imaging at California State University, Long Beach, and has been an artist-in-residence at Hermitage Artist Retreat, Light Works and the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center. Gray is a 2018 John S. Guggenheim Fellow and is the recipient of grants from the California Community Foundation, the Durfee Foundation, Pasadena Art Alliance and Los Angeles’s Department of Cultural Affairs. He has completed numerous public commissions nationwide as a principal partner of Shin Gray Studios, including artworks for California Medical Hospital, Chicago Transit Authority, Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles County libraries and San Bernardino Transit. Gray was the 2025 Ruth K. Franklin Lecture on the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas at the Cantor Arts Center and recently completed a new commission for the David Geffen Galleries at LACMA.