Upcoming:

Villa Aurora

Whispering Bells

September 20th - October 25th 2025

Opening Reception: September 20th, 4 - 8 pm

In January of 2025, the Palisades Fire came within feet of Villa Aurora. Miraculously, the house survived, allowing us to continue our work promoting intercultural exchange and fostering dialogue in arts and culture.

Located at the former home of Jewish-German writer Lion Feuchtwanger and his wife Marta, Villa Aurora is dedicated to preserving the legacy of artists and intellectuals who found refuge from Nazi persecution in Los Angeles. For the past 30 years, Villa Aurora has been an artist residence, a place where exile and expression meet, where history and contemporary events converge. During the process of rebuilding, we are working with local partners to present our artists’ work within the city.

At O-Town House, Villa Aurora has found a temporary home away from home. A magical place located in the Granada Buildings, built in 1927 Spanish Revival Style echoing Villa Aurora’s architecture on the other side of Wilshire Boulevard. In addition to that we have found a kindred spirit and true inspiration in the founder and curator of O-Town House: Scott Cameron Weaver.

This group exhibition at O-Town House gallery is our kickoff anniversary show with works of artists spanning thirty years of our residency program. At the same time, it is the beginning of an annual exhibition series that will promote future fellows’ works in Los Angeles.

The exhibition Whispering Bells takes its name from the drought-tolerant flower species known as fire followers. The dry, bell-shaped flowers play a rustling song when caught in the wind. Its seeds are triggered by burnt material to start a new life cycle.

Whispering Bells offers a glimpse into the rich artistic legacy created by almost 500 resident artists since 1995 with works by Villa Aurora alumni Achim Mohné (2000), Klaus Pockrandt (2016), Sarah Szczesny (2021), Joram Schön (2024) and Fern Liberty Kallenbach Campbell (2024).

Together with O-Town House, this anniversary show celebrates old friends and new partners: international alliances showcasing our role as transatlantic bridge-builders and local connections anchoring our resident artists in Los Angeles.

Events:

Saturday, September 27th, 2 pm

Authors Ed Schad and Liat Yossifor discuss their book Letters Apart

published with DoppelHouse Press

Tuesday, October 21st, 6:30 pm 

Artist talk with Sarah Szczesny and Olivia Mole

The exhibition is funded by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, with generous support from Villa Aurora’s long-standing partner, Saxony-Anhalt Arts Foundation.

672 S Lafayette Park Place, Suite 44/43, Los Angeles, CA, 90057