City of Santa Monica Art Bank

Looking back at an artist with an axe, John Akomfrah bringing the rain to Venice and Stanley Stellar recalling the NY piers

As the fair returns to Santa Monica in 2025, take a look back at standout works, performances and initiatives from its first five editions

The artist spent 42 years in prison before his release in 2016, making the acquisition of his work In Memoriam of an Ashanti Warrior (2024) especially poignant