There’s a little underground gallery in the fashion district, far from the swanky places on Main and Spring.
It’s hidden away with no obvious signage, on the second floor of The City Market of Los Angeles. The wholesale market was incorporated in 1909 and has been in continuous operation since then, making it one of the oldest in the country.
The hallway of LA City Market; like something out of an old detective movie. Although the red flash from my friend's camera makes it less Noir, more vintage sci-fi...
The LA City Market Gallery (a.k.a. Upstairs At The Market Gallery) is an alternative space offering local artists the opportunity to show their work as part of a less… let’s say… elitist system. There’s no curator, and although the gallery is operated by The City Market of LA, it’s the artists themselves who are responsible for the space and the exhibitions. Grassroots enough for ya? On the upside when you sell, nobody’s sticking their hand out for a 50% cut.
Even though the space is well-used with an artist waiting list a mile long, the gallery runs somewhat under the radar; for one, having no curator or centralized organizer for ongoing exhibitions contributes to the overlook factor and prevents this cool spot from being recognized as a permanent fixture. Although the gallery has a website and a recorded message gives details on upcoming shows, the space is… just that: a place to show. To my knowledge you can expect at least one exhibition per month, but artists may or may not publicize their events. And with zero walk-in traffic, turnout entirely depends on how much (or how well) openings are advertised by individual artists.
As such, it’s been difficult to include the space in the whole Downtown Art Walk hoopla on second Thursdays (which was purportedly on hiatus until 2011 but has since been resuscitated); the gallery isn’t on the Art Walk map, and at the corner of San Pedro and 11th, it’s a little off the beaten path. At night, the fashion district has a distinctively haunted feel… slightly less “hopping” than the scene a little further north. The entrance itself is difficult to find as you must enter through gates on 11th and make your way past a carport and market stalls. But it’s there… right between a loading dock and a Korean bank. Don’t blink or you’ll miss it! Miss it, and you’ll be sorry.
Outside the gallery, late at night. You're not scared, are you? There's 24/7 security, and plenty of free gated parking. Plus free wine and cheese inside. Oh and art, too.
You’ll see a lot of emerging artists here; plenty of experimental work, too. But also seasoned artists who have been exhibiting in the space since first discovering it years ago. Pretty much anything goes… although I do seem to remember a few caveats, such as no live animals or perishable art (there’s really no need to fatten the local fauna, if you get my drift).
As far as content goes, we might as well be talking about apples and oranges… or sea cucumbers. It’s a little inconsistent between exhibitions… but how else could it be when everyone gets a turn?
All for the greater good, I say.
As much as we collectively look up to our hipster-cool Gallery Row, there’s something refreshing about a space that doesn’t quite “fit”… kinda like a box of misfit chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get. Personally I prefer caramels, but sometimes you gotta bite into an unidentified cream-filled object. And if you’re forming a “What she said” joke, save it. I’m wayyyy ahead of you.
A past exhibition at The City Market Gallery.
Full disclosure: I am in this show, but so are 13 other amazing artists. So please stop by and say hi.
Double Take: A group exhibition
Saturday October 9, 6-10pm
LA City Market Gallery
1057 S. San Pedro St., 2nd Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90015 (click for map)
(213) 746-0646 or (213) 742-0672
Featuring:
Liz Comay
Dante Cox
Kelly DeGracia
Patricia Delouard
Julie Easton
Jacqueline Friedberg
Nate Geare
Nat George
Scott Hillman
Stacy Kalkowski
Ed Krzyzaniak
Nuttaphol Ma
Dave Quick
&
Ryan Schmidt
Free gated parking (enter on 11th at San Pedro), refreshments served.
