ARTRA Feeling Lofty

I shouldn't have given them my email. Now TLofts will be spamming me with ads for Real Estate till the cows come home. I thought it was the curator list. How naive I was. But, it was worth it. I saw some fantastic work at Here and Now, ARTRA at TLofts last weekend.



A fantastic concept, really. Art patrons, prospective renters/buyers, and other interested folks get to check out art from all over Los Angeles at a new loft building during an open house. Reminds me a little of the Phantom Galleries concept as the curators capitalized on this temporary space, though the focus here is more comercial. ARTRA is a curatorial group formed "in answer to the restrictions in exhibiting opportunities for artists following the economic meltdown". Hopefully the economy will continue to be crap so ARTRA can set up more fun events like this. It's a little less stuffy than a gallery show and more fun to explore.



As far as TLofts go, it's nice I suppose. If you're looking for a 2 level concrete box with 3 toilets (is that really necessary?) TLofts in west LA is the place for you. Features fantastic industrial views and geometric artificial turf in the courtyard. 3 toilets, really? Do people really pee that much?



There were dozens of artists represented here featuring a lot of interesting 2D and 3D work, all different styles and techniques. My favorites were Macha Suzuki's flowery conceptual self portrait, Jaime Scholnick's styrofoam monoliths, and Justin Bower's bold oil paintings. It wasn't all top notch though. There were a few units that were really sparse where the work really didn't fill the space. The 1st floor seemed to have the stronger work for the most part.



ARTRA - http://www.artrala.org