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Monday, July 2, 2012

Celebrating Design at Chinatown's Chung King Alley

Chinatown Design night

Chinatown's Chung King Alley has transformed in recent years as a new generation of galleries moved in alongside the old-school antique shops and restaurants. We took the Gold Line to Chinatown on Saturday to check out the 2nd Annual Chinatown Design Night, part of the Los Angeles Design Festival.

Among the highlights that we saw, as noted by the LA Design Festival website:

Coagula Curatorial - Cartoonist Jim Caron will be hosting a book signing for his latest work “I AM NOT A TYPO.”

Fifth Floor - C-town’s resident purveyor of accoutrements for the modern life will be showcasing a new collection of letterpress and screen prints by LA artists Charlie Carroll, David Lomeli, and Leslie Ross-Robertson.

Flock Shop – Featuring the appropriately-named new collection The End is Only the Beginning, with the work of 13 participating artists from around the world.

Strangeways Academy – This collaborative graphic design studio will be opening its doors to show Sound Codes, a new collection of work by Amy Fortunato and Lee Noble.

Preen – If you missed this creative brood on the de LaB design-n-dim-sum ride, this is open house and another opportunity to check out their outstanding interior design and architecture studio.

Osceola Refetoff - Pop into this photography studio to check out a new interactive light sculpture by Leif Maginnis called ArtStrobe.


Some highlights from our night in Chinatown:

Chinatown Design night
The new Exhale Unlimited gallery opens with a mission: Everything at this Saturday's exhibition came from artists who are either homeless or disabled.

Chinatown Design night
At the Exhale gallery: Reps from the Waterbar LA brand of flavored waters -- among them, Apple Pie water and PB&J water -- showed off their product.

Chinatown Design night
Dancers from "Versa Style" perform outside the Exhale Unlimited gallery.

Chinatown Design night
The scene at Fifth Floor Gallery

Chinatown Design night
Two letterpressed works by Leslie Ross-Robertson: "Pan Pacific" and "Casestudy View"

Chinatown Design night
Two screenprints by David Lomeli: "Hip" and "I Love L.A."

Chinatown Design night
While most of the storefronts on Chung King Road are now art galleries, Fong's (which imports Chinese artwork) remains.

Chinatown Design night
The Happy Lion gallery

Chinatown Design night
L.A. graffiti crew West Coasts Artists, which began back in 1985, has never had a full-fledged art exhibit -- until now. We checked out the show on Saturday during the design show; read more about it here.

Chinatown Design night
"Good Times" at the West Coasts Artists show.

Chinatown Design night
More art!

Chinatown Design night
"Forgive me for being a hypocrite."

Chinatown Design night
"America, the Greatest Nation on Earth"

Chinatown Design night
"Father, Mother, Sister, Brother."

Chinatown Design night
"How to Destroy LA."

Chinatown Design night
Blogger Toddler 2.0 enjoys "Private Property."

Chinatown Design night
"If Only You Were Better."

Chinatown Design night
Performance art!

Chinatown Design night
The three-prong claw!

Chinatown Design night

Chinatown Design night

Chinatown Design night

Chinatown Design night

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