The Art Scene in Chinatown

History

Over a dozen art galleries have arrived in Chinatown since 1999. The first gallery to open was China Art Objects founded by Steve Hanson and Giovanni Intra. Today China Art Objects is considered an establishment in Chinatown and keeps the traffic coming. In the last few years, cheap rent and availability of spaces, has made of Chinatown the perfect location for upcoming galleries and artists. Chung King Road, a 500-foot pedestrian alley at the back of West plaza (shopping center in Chinatown) is the main area where galleries opened. Chung King Road’s fortunes reflect a cultural shift in Los Angeles to the east side and downtown.Chung King Road is now lined with galleries, studio spaces and retail boutiques, mixed in with the old-fashioned shops and little jewelry stores operated by the Chinese-American who had been the sole occupants of this neighborhood since the 1950s. Artists are attracted by the collision of young artist and elderly Chinese for them it is “ so poignant, so exciting”. I found the collision poignant but it also made me fell uncomfortable at times, like I was a voyeur observing another rhythm of life, one that is not mine.

Visiting the galleries

According to Edoardo Ballerini “ it is impossible to predict what kind of works you can expect to see on a given day, and even harder to predict if there will be consistent quality”. That is exactly what I experimented on my visit this last Friday. My favorite exhibition was definitely at the Acuna-Hansen Gallery where paintings by artist Elizabeth Saveri where on display. It was a collection of small paintings arranged by themes. Some were very pretty, like the arrangement of what seemed to be an orange tree (see picture). Some were more about the things we don’t want to see; trash, cars, machinery. I also appreciated the work of artist Tetsuji Aono at the L2Kontempory gallery.