Speakeasy Tattoo

First of all how can you not give five stars to a place so beautiful and wonderful, and free to…read morecome in and enjoy?? I grew up in socal but I never knew LA, other than Chinatown as a kid. I especially didn't know art, so today I was a pure tourist in this place, and wow. So much, from the wide openness when you come in, to the smells from Manuela, to the superbly mellow chickens. And then the enormous and gorgeous gallery (an expansive exhibit from the collection of Eileen Harris Norton). The only complaint I can muster is that the bookstore is too big, you need really to spend a whole nother trip just to look through it.

Hauser and Wirth museum complex is a fun place to visit and appreciate contemporary arts. They have…read moredifferent exhibitions at different galleries throughout the place. This complex also has a bookstore, garden and Manuela restaurant. It's a great place to hang out for a few hours. The exhibitions we saw on New Year's Day were fun. I liked the oil on linens cause I am drawn to bright colors. The sketch artworks from a 50s artist were interesting but not my thing. I would love to come here to see different arts from time to time though! Ps. Exhibitions are free, we always valet in the front.

Art on display

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The Box

5.0(7 reviews)

Intimate and intense just a cool place to visit. It's in the arts district…read more Highly recommended

The Box is at the northernmost point of the hidden Chunk King road. It is definitely one of the…read morebest galleries in the Chinatown Arts District (CAD). Currently they are preparing for an installation which promises to be really cool. There were two guys setting up the installation and they let us in. They were not art snobs and that's a plus! The installation is comprised of interactive works of art. There are handles which you turn that makes the works of art come alive. This particular installation was pretty humorous in a provocative way in my opinion. The Box usually has very provocative art. Perhaps it is the gallery with the most controversial art in the whole CAD! The box has a pretty storefront. Parking nearby is $5 and up but if you are willing to walk a couple of blocks you can park for free in a little residential area to the north by Pho 87.

3.7 mi•Arts District, Downtown

Kim Jones "Walking Home"

Naotaka Hiro's "Two Worlds"

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Over the Influence Gallery

4.5(18 reviews)

Cool space and fun art this time with space invaders and rubics cube…read more Highly recommended!

Nice little gallery. I was there for the Invader show. He's one of my favorite street artists…read more There are two large rooms of his stuff - make sure to go behind the black curtain to view his amazing Rubik's cube pieces. We also saw Gongkan's work in the other part of the gallery - interesting concept with the mirrors. The gallery is on a popular street near Prince Street Pizza and Salt and Straw, Hauser & Wirth is nearby. Street parking is free on Sundays - but good luck getting a spot.

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WHIMSICAL & IMAGINATIVE: Super Future Kid (artist) opening reception at Over The Influence/OTI Gallery

Lili Lakich Studio

4.6(9 reviews)

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Her workshops are way better than MONA's. Knows what she's doing and students are kept on track to…read morefinish their projects. HIGH quality work produced in workshops.

I received a gift certificate for Lili's class as a present. I had no idea what I was in for! I…read moreleft with an evenngrrater appreciation for neon artwork and all of the details that go into it. It was fun to interact with other students from all walks of life and with Lili, Miho, Tom, Derlin, others who came into share their knowledge and skill. Lili has a great sense of humor, fantastic stories, and provides good guidance and information. She was also flexible with access to the studio for project work when work or personal schedules didn't align with class sessions. You do need to buy your materials, so it is a good idea to understand that cost so you can design and create the project you want. The final class art exhibit was alot of fun. The variety in the projects created was amazing. Great experience and so cool to work in a space filled with neon light! Loved my finish piece "Love Bulb Glow" Neon with LED on Mirrored Aluminum by Petrina Gooch. I will post a pic.

"LOVE Bulb Glow" Neon Artwork with LED lighting by Petrina Gooch

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Lakich Studio

Los Angeles Arts District

4.6(52 reviews)

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We spent the afternoon. In the LA Arts District around Santa Fe St and 3rd St. Lots of fun street…read moreart and murals to admire. Lots of metered street parking. It's best to park and walk around to truly appreciate the area.

The Arts District has a unique atmosphere that blends old warehouse buildings with modern…read moredevelopment, creating a distinctive and edgy vibe. Cool place to just walk around and check out the street art, shops, and enjoy some tasty culinary experiences!! From upscale restaurants to trendy cafes and bars. It's also has some great craft breweries and lively nightlife, offering a range of options for socializing and enjoying the evening. Once the sun goes down check out 6th Street Bridge! The bridge itself is a work of art. Its sweeping arches feel futuristic but still grounded in LA's gritty, creative spirit. You'll often see locals skating, snapping photos, filming, or just hanging out--it's become a real community spot.

Looking for Art in the Arts District!

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Art Share Los Angeles

4.7(35 reviews)

All over DTLA in what once were run down commercial areas, now public art, art galleries, cafes,…read morecoffee houses and unique stores have sprouted up. After the Grammy Museum which is in the Staples-Crypto Center/LA Live area that kick started the renovation of part of downtown after the theaters at the Music Center, I drove over to Art Share LA, an art gallery, theater and communal housing for artists. They had an exhibit of various artists working in the entertainment industry for Disney, Star Wars and other related animation work. When I walked in I really thought there was someone playing piano. Great space to enjoy art emerging artists.

Cool place to visit with artists in residence and a bunch of classrooms…read more Highly recommended!

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Inside

La Compound

4.0(1 review)

I visited this gallery this weekend specifically to see an artist I was interested in. What I liked…read moreabout it was the fact they had this artist there. There are a lot of smaller name artists out there that need a place to start and I feel like this would be a good gallery for them. You won't find really high priced pieces, just a bunch of affordable art. If you're starting out collecting or don't have a huge budget this would be a great place to come and pick something up without paying a fortune. The girl working was really nice and friendly. I would def go back for another show if there was an artist I had interest in. I hope this gallery stays around and keeps putting on shows for up and coming artists.

From the owner: Arts District. Downtown LA Art Gallery featuring street art, fine art, board culture, polaroids,…read morephotography, screen prints, and whatever we feel like. Visit our boutique featuring swag, prints, jewelry, and black metal greeting cards. Live working black and white photobooth. Art work not for your mom.

3.9 mi•Arts District, Downtown

Mandy Tsung

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Mandy Tsung

Arts District Co-op

3.0(69 reviews)

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Funky co-op with lots of fun trinkets. A bit pricey but fun to look around in…read more Parking is hard to find as there are a lot of spaces here that say no parking but there are definitely cars parked in front of the sign. No taking photos inside (there are a bunch of different signs telling you this) so it's hard to describe what's for sale. Fun to take a gander inside if you happen to be in the area and find a parking spot but probably not the most exciting place to go for specifically since you'd have to fight traffic and very confusing parking rules to get here.

Had lunch at Urth Caffe with my daughter after the gym (still in our gym clothes) while walking…read moreback to our car we came across this cute looking store. Walked in, liked some things and bought some things. As we were ready to leave we noticed the wall in the back with the art displays. They have a beautiful piece with what looks like a woman in a turban or headpiece. They also have it painted on the wall. Considering it's permanently on the wall, think safe assumption, the woman behind desk would know the history of the painting. She said she didn't. And not in an I just work here kind of way but in a snobby tone. We got the impression she judged a book by its cover...like I said we were in gym clothes. She made it clear she had no interest in wasting her time on us. I'd like to go back and support the independent artists but not at the cost of a snob. I asked because I was interested in purchasing the painting but not after that encounter.

The dress that I bought broke the first week and they wouldn't give me an exchange or refund.

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Love the dragonfly

Downtown LA Art Walk

4.1(359 reviews)

4.3 mi•Downtown

An Art Walk in Los Angeles should be expected to be a scene where culture and artful expression…read moreknows no boundaries and embraces established techniques, modern absurdity and the limitless quanity of weird in the globe to produce what moves emotion or in other words to produce art. And my recent trip to the Downtown LA Art Walk was exactly that a collection of techniques, practices, talents, mediums, and modes of communication that came together and landed to create an amorphous experience that was shaped, like clay, to create visual and sensory craftwork. There were different galleries offering different works. I will begin this review by naming some of my favorite. There was this gallery showing photography that was enhanced, played, or showcased light and that is where I found the dinosaurs of Cabezon come to life by the angles of a camera. I clipped the picture of the drawing (art inception) and it shows a long neck dinosaur that I want to call a jirrafasuaraus but I know that is wrong, walking toward a twilight colored horizon-- where the low of the sky was orange, layered above by a lemon-yellow strip of sky, then followed a soften almost transparent orange, with the rest of the sky being a early evening blue. I could not tell that the picture was fake. I do not want to say that I thought that Jurrasic Park was real, but, the picture did make me feel that the dessert has seen dinosaurs walking toward lovely sunsets. Another favorite was a negative of a picture of what looked like a swan floating in water that was completely black, like a swan swimming on black construction paper. But the only visible parts of the swan was is feathered body, its long neck, and regal tail. I could not see its eyes, I could not see its beak, I could not see its crest up high. The swan was averting the lens of the camera and yet the beauty of the swan was evident because its pure white ruffles were silent against a black backdrop. I could continue naming the pieces I like and why, but then the artwalk would becoming an art viewing. So I will conclude that I also saw a woman wearing a ruffled vest that dragged to the floor. It was inconvenient and kind of bulky, and maybe drag dirt along the train, but this was also art. I point that out because the show attracted people with style, and style on a body, is art, as everyone knows. There was also an apartment building that opens its doors. It offered a fondue fountain, chocolate, pool table, blackjack, and a giant arcade machine where one could play spade invader or pac-man. So the engagement level of Art Walk expanded to art one could make on the spot. And if you wonder how one makes art at a pool table--- then I suggest seeing a video of a player using a stick to make a ball jump to avoid one ball and hit the other. The movement is a type of ballet jump (a piroutte) that is prompted by a stick propulsion. If that is not artistic expression, then, a person living in a glass box suspended in air above the ground isn't either. As I walked the streets of LA, I also saw a truck that had four spotlights. I have always seen events that are signaled out by spotlights but now I know that these spotlights are ambulatory, and kind of, yes, art in their own way. They rose lights to the buildings side and to the night sky. The movement was a type of dance light, and I defy anyone to prove me wrong because at its core, art can never be truly define by words because, on its own, its a visual language.

Fun experience going into these private artsy businesses and checking out their collection. This is…read morea well planned art walk where maps are included. You essentially just get lost going from one art studio to the next. It's everything about art into one event. Traffic can be difficult but once you're in, it doesn't even matter anymore. This was a fun experience.

3.8 mi•Little Tokyo, Downtown

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The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA

4.3(302 reviews)

It's a free museum. How people gonna complain about free, especially in a prime area like Little…read moreTokyo. You got spare time to spend a lazy day? Go spend it regulating your blood sugar levels from that hearty ramen/sushi lunch by walking around the Geffen Contemporary. They definitely get some interesting work coming through here; from highly technical paintings to puzzling installations 'n shit that is so ugly, you can only call it a modern art masterpiece. Though among my favorites has always been Haruki Murakami and all the sculptures and prints around the concept of Super Flat and the marriage of pop art to a fine art setting.

I recently visited The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA and was genuinely moved by the current…read moreexhibition. The show reflects on the histories and legacies of post-Civil War America and how they still shape conversations today. It brings together decommissioned monuments -- many of them Confederate -- alongside contemporary works that were both borrowed and newly created for this exhibition. Seeing these monuments removed from their original outdoor settings and placed inside a gallery changes everything. Some are unmarred. Others are heavily vandalized. Each state of transformation tells its own story. It forces you to look at them not as background fixtures, but as objects with weight, history, and consequence. The contrast between the historical monuments and the contemporary responses is powerful. It's not an easy exhibition, and that's the point. It invites reflection, discomfort, and dialogue. If you're looking for something visually impressive and intellectually challenging, this is absolutely worth your time.