This post was updated Aug. 4 at 8:47 p.m.

The heat of summer can sometimes bring a change of perspective.

In many ways, interacting with fine art has the same effect. From paintings and prints to sculptures and statues, art can alter one’s lens for seeing the world. Los Angeles’ art museums are offering visitors the opportunity to engage with different cultures and ideas, with influences ranging from technology to location to historical text.

Read on to learn more about several dynamic art exhibitions that the Daily Bruin believes will enchant visitors across Los Angeles this summer.

“Hyperobject: Art in the Age of YOLO*” (Fellows of Contemporary Art)

Pick up a paintbrush – or perhaps a computer mouse.

The Fellows of Contemporary Art is currently hosting “Hyperobject: Art in the Age of YOLO*,” an exhibition running through Aug. 17. The exhibit showcases the works of seven artists born between 1991 and 2003, who represent the first generation to live alongside digital media for the entire duration of their lifetimes. Equipped with their personal experiences of growing up in the digital age, Ryan Crudgington, Chandler Dangaard, Mae Noland, Violet Treadwell Hull, Peña Espinoza Peña, Felix Quintana and Gabriel Tolson explore the intersections of reality and virtual reality through their refreshing and provocative art.

“Hyperobject,” a term introduced by Rice University professor Timothy Morton, describes phenomena such as the internet that is primarily experienced rather than seen. The acronym “YOLO” stands for “you only live once” and serves as the lens through which younger generations approach art and encapsulate life. The exhibit uses technology as an inspiration, moving beyond pixels to create meaningful artwork that pushes the boundaries of traditional art in the process.

Suffice to say, viewers will not need a search engine to find the intersection of art and technology in “Hyperobject: Art in the Age of YOLO*.”

– Yuna Choi

[Related: Hammer Museum summer exhibits emphasize self-expression through fashion, fusion]

“Paula Wilson: Toward the Sky’s Back Door” (California African American Museum)

There’s always room to explore life’s unexpected intersections through art.

At the California African American Museum, the exhibition “Paula Wilson: Toward the Sky’s Back Door” will allow visitors to engage with nearly 20 years’ worth of multimedia artist Paula Wilson’s portfolio until Aug. 18. Wilson’s work across various mediums includes paintings, collages, videos and sculptures – with several of these materials and styles fused into singular pieces. The artist creates some of her pieces through the same approaches she uses to make her clothes and rugs, presenting new connections between seemingly disparate aspects of life.

As with most of Wilson’s art, “Paula Wilson: Toward the Sky’s Back Door” incorporates her experiences as a Black biracial woman who has lived in both metropolitan and rural communities. The artist was born in Chicago in 1975 and earned BFA and MFA degrees from Washington University in St. Louis and Columbia University, respectively, before relocating to Carrizozo, New Mexico, in 2007. With this collection, Wilson’s subjects stretch worldwide, ranging from ancient Greek vases to West African D’mba, which are headdresses worn by the Baga people of Guinea.

If museumgoers are willing to look at the world a little differently, this exhibit is sure to offer an eye-opening change of perspective.

– Reid Sperisen

“The Book of Marvels: Wonder and Fear in the Middle Ages” (Getty Center)

It’s time to travel back to the medieval centuries.

Los Angeles’ Getty Center is exploring medieval tales in the exhibition “The Book of Marvels: Wonder and Fear in the Middle Ages,” running through Aug. 25. Centered around the 1460s manuscript “Book of the Marvels of the World,” the exhibition portrays fantastical stories in places from Iceland to Sri Lanka. The author – known as the Master of the Geneva Boccaccio – and his work represent the ideologies of the 1460s and the prevailing view of the world from a Eurocentric perspective.

Through calligraphy and detailed hand-drawn images, the pages on display weave together medieval fables and history to create an intriguing account of the world. With another layer of interpretation by an armchair explorer from northern France, the manuscript provides a glimpse into the mindsets and attitudes of the time, much of which informs the “othering” of the non-Western world that remains prevalent today.

From farmers to flesh-eating demons, the exhibition is set to be a journey through the bizarre sentiments of the past.

– Puja Anand

[Related: Getty Center’s College Night invites students to reexamine history through art]

“Mickalene Thomas: All About Love” (The Broad)

To be loved is to be seen and understood.

This summer, artist Mickalene Thomas’ special exhibition “Mickalene Thomas: All About Love” is being shown at The Broad until Sept. 29. The collection of more than 90 pieces spans two decades of Thomas’ work and highlights her expertise across disciplines ranging from photography to mixed-media painting and collage. “All About Love” draws its title and themes of love, healing and collective liberation from the foundational text by author bell hooks. The exhibition’s multimedia approach displays Thomas’ early exploration of sexuality, memory and visual culture through photographic representations of family and larger-than-life subject installations.

Thomas gained recognition for her large-scale portraits of Black women that focused on capturing the complexities of femininity and challenging oppressive narratives reinforced by Western representations. The New Jersey-born artist completed her MFA at the Yale University School of Art, followed by a residency at the Studio Museum in Harlem. In “All About Love,” Thomas continues to advocate for the visibility of Black women in the hope that viewers will leave with a heightened sense of compassion for others.

For gallery lovers who appreciate a variety of art forms, “All About Love” promises a visually stunning and nuanced take on intersectional themes.

– Sydney Gaw