White (1918–79) used the symbol of the shell repeatedly in his work. To me it looks like an ear, beckoning us not only to look, but to listen. It’s currently on display in the Black American Portraits, an exhibition LACMA hopes will counter ‘a visual culture that often demonizes Blackness and fetishizes the spectacle of Black pain, these images center (sic) love, abundance, family, community, and exuberance.’

If you can’t get there, you can listen to the exhibition’s soundtrack online – I’ve just heard it and it’s a clever way to set the artworks in context. Hearing the music and spoken word recordings while looking at the installation images of the exhibition, I feel like I’m a step closer to the exhibition. It’s a two-hour track, celebrating the radiance of Black musical culture in its most joyful forms, featuring song selections from some of the artists represented in the show – Karon Davis, Reggie Burrows Hodges, Shinique Smith, and Umar Rashid. What a great way to activate an art museum exhibition. There’s something delightfully Angelino about the playlist - a great way to transport us to Los Angeles from far away.