Without question, the Los Angeles art scene has experienced a renaissance over the last several years. The gallery landscape continues to expand throughout the city at large, but one unassuming space located at 5906 Figueroa St. in Highland Park, CA has managed to serve as an East Side anchor for some of the most inspiring shows from the L.A. art underground and beyond. Originally THIS Gallery (from 2010-2013) the space eventually changed hands to become Slow Culture. Run by the enterprising trio of brothers Fred & Max Guerrero and partner Steve Lee, in just a couple of short years, with each successive show and sponsored event, Slow Culture has quickly proven itself to be a vital, cultural force in the community.
Fred Guerrero answered a few questions for The Poetry of Living on the heels of Slow Culture’s very special 2nd anniversary group show: “Milk & Honey (Contemporary Art in California)” which is currently on view thru Sept. 4th.
Can you tell me a bit about each of you guys, your backgrounds, & how you all came together as partners in the gallery?
Max & I are brothers, and we’ve worked together for the past 10+ years helping to run our families restaurants. Two years ago we had the opportunity to do this gallery, so we felt it was time to branch off and do our own thing. During that time I was talking to my friend from high school, Steve Lee, about working on some independent projects and he ended wanting to come on board with us.
For your 2nd Anniversary show you are honoring the late Justin Van Hoy and his book (“Milk & Honey”) which was published shortly before his passing. Justin (along with several partners) was one of the previous owners of your space, THIS Gallery. How important has it been for you guys to continue the legacy that was created by THIS?
I think for us it was more important to honor all of the hard work they had invested into the space. I grew up in this neighborhood and have seen how quickly things are growing. It would have been a great loss for the space to have gotten taken over by someone who wasn’t fully in tune with what’s going on around here. We always had the utmost respect for what they did with THIS, but we always wanted Slow Culture to be ours, and not just an extension what they did.
Since you’ve opened, has anything taken you particularly by surprise in running the gallery?
I don’t think it’s being surprised as much as it is everything is new! I was coming from working in the restaurant business which I think prepared me for anything. Any serious issues we have here seems like a cakewalk compared to what I was dealing with there.
The neighborhood surrounding Slow Culture has certainly experienced much change since you first opened, and continues to grow & expand. Has this impacted the gallery in any measurable way as far as popularity or otherwise?
It’s hard to say how much of an impact it’s had on us. As much as the neighborhood is thriving, I still feel like we’re the minority here. A majority of the new business’ coming in are hospitality driven. There’s not much retail, and even less in the realm of art.
If anything, I think the thing that’s made the biggest impact is more friends moving to the neighborhood. We have a close friend who just moved above us, and a bunch of people up and down Figueroa. People are always dropping in to say hi and just hang out. It feels good to have created exactly what we originally set out to do, which was to have an outlet for all of our friends who work in creative fields.
Is there a specific moment or event that has been a highlight thus far for you?
The Deadbeat Club show was definitely it for me. I’m big into photography, so I’ve always admired all of those photographers (Devin Briggs, Cheryl Dunn, Nolan Hall, Grant Hatfield, Andrea Sonnenberg, Deanna Templeton, Ed Templeton, Clint Woodside, Tobin Yelland). Having all nine of them present for the opening was a big turning point for me. I couldn’t believe we were having a show with these guys. It was a good motivator for me. Also, that was my first time working with Clint Woodside who is just the all around best dude.
Getting to show Jerry Hsu was another highlight. He’s one of my favorite photographers and he was at the top of my wish list since we opened as someone I’d want to exhibit.
How do you guys divide up the responsibilities in running Slow Culture?
Depending on our individual relationship with the artist and what medium they’re working in, it all kinds of depends. For example, Steve used to be an assistant for some big photographers and has a lot of experience with that. He’s also good friends with Jerry, so he’ll be more hands on with that show. Submitting prints, proofing, framing, etc…
I tend to run a lot of the back end duties like web stuff, accounting, scheduling and general office things. Max will help with a lot of the production aspect, making sure the show is on schedule, turning over the gallery, installing with the artists etc.
It mostly just comes down to whatever needs to get done, someone will take care of it.
Over the past little while you guys have been expanding your reach & doing special one-off events outside of the gallery at other locations. Do you have plans for more of these types of events in the future?
That’s definitely the goal. I see us being more than just a gallery. We’ve spent the past two years learning how to run a gallery and now I feel confident in being able to execute what we do outside of the confines of our own space. We’re talking to a few people about international opportunities, so hopefully something will pan out! The more I do this, the more excited I get about the future. I feel like we are really shaping a cohesive vision for what we want this place to be.
The last full run shows of the year will be Mel Kadel in October and Justin Hager in November, which is a solid way for us to round out a crazy year. We’ve started some loose conversations with a few artists for 2016 that I’m really really excited about. If it’s any indicator of whats to come, it will be another big year for us.
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Photos by: Devin Sarno
