Founded in 2011 by Cerritos College Art Gallery and Rio Hondo College Art Gallery, the SUR:biennial seeks to explore the complex notions of globalization and exchange that takes place in the ambiguous borderlands between Los Angeles and the broader ‘South.’

The independently-curated biennial exhibitions showcase recent and newly-commissioned works by local and international artists who have been influenced by the cultures and artistic traditions of Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean.
In addition to Cerritos College Art Gallery, over the last decade and a half, SUR:biennial exhibitions have taken place at Rio Hondo College Art Gallery, BlueBird Art House, Torrance Art Museum, Manhattan Beach Art Center, McNish Gallery at Oxnard College, Whittier Museum of Art and History, Cypress College Art Gallery, Long Beach City College Art Gallery, Eastside International, San Diego Mesa College Art Gallery, SPARC, and Tonalli Studio.