TRYST: INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR

Torrance Art Museum, along with the City of Torrance, is pleased to announce that TRYST will be returning August 2026! TRYST is the world’s largest international art fair dedicated exclusively to artist-run spaces, collectives, and independent organizations. More than a conventional art fair, TRYST is a global gathering centered on international exchange among grassroots, artist-led initiatives.

Now in its fourth edition with over 65 artist run spaces from around the world, TRYST has established itself as a powerful alternative to commercial art fairs—prioritizing collaboration, experimentation, and cultural dialogue over traditional art structures and market-driven models.

NOMAD: SOCAL ARTIST POP-UP ART FAIR

NOMAD is a community-focused event where 140+ Southern California artists showcase recent work, connect with peers, and engage a wider audience. The exhibition highlights the region’s diverse 2D and sculptural talent and emphasizes creative exchange, collaboration, and relationship-building.

Both are off-site at Del Amo Crossing.

MAIN GALLERY: BAKER’S DOZEN 2026

Baker’s Dozen acts as a review of sorts—a survey exhibition featuring thirteen artists whose work made a positive impression on the curators over the past year. These thirteen artists reflect current directions in Southern California’s contemporary art practices.

Historically, a “baker’s dozen” refers to thirteen instead of twelve, originating in 13th-century England, when bakers would include an extra loaf of bread to avoid punishment by King Henry III for selling underweight loaves. This exhibition draws on that idea, acknowledging the curators’ own preconceptions and biases, while centering artistic endeavors rooted in the present moment.

GALLERY TWO: B-LA-M

(Special Opening Event, Saturday, October 31, 12 p.m. - 3 p.m.)

A three-year exchange between Berlin, Los Angeles, and Mexico City artist-run initiatives.

DARK ROOM: Venice Institute of Contemporary Art (ViCA)

MAS (Mutual Appreciation Society) Attack 2026 is a way to reclaim hope, connection, and strength through art. This one-night exhibition invites Southern California artists to share work that reflects, resists, heals, or sheds light on the times we’re living in.

MAIN GALLERY: Exile

California is as much a feeling as it is a place. Though ubiquitous, this essence remains uniquely enigmatic in its authorship. From our cultish obsession with mid-century-modern design, to chinoiserie folklore, Mediterranean lifestyles, or relics of Spanish colonialism, what exactly makes this vast eclectic region feel so familiar? 

“Exiles” examines California’s cultural legacy as a lineage of communities displaced by geopolitical tensions, specifically focusing on a contemporary collection of diasporic artists with roots in Islamic countries that have faced destabilizing geopolitical events spanning from the late 70s to today.