Last week C&C were invited to attend a special art showcase that was on display at the monthly downtown Los Angeles Art Walk.. I had heard of these art walks that take place in various parts of the city from many people. This is the very first one that I went to. I didn’t really know what to expect out of it. But just driving into the area I could tell by the dozens and dozens of people roaming the streets, that this would be a bit hectic. I personally don’t do well with large crowds of people. So needless to say, I was overwhelmed by just walking across the street. Art walks are described as free self-guided public art event that bring artists and community together and center around many galleries in a specific area. After some confusion as to where the exact spot for the show was and pushing several hipster arty folk out of the way, I finally made to the 2nd floor ballroom in the Alexandria hotel on Spring street. I found it very comforting to be in a large space with not too many people around, so I could really take my time and observe the art. There were about 11 pieces in this Door No. 1 showcase. The very first piece I came across was called "So Close". It was a gold painted door, with and gold chain out lining what looks like a silhouette of a person and having a clock as a face with a wire mustache. As you take a closer look in the peep hole in the middle of the clock face, you can see what looks to be a digitalized picture of a landscape of hillside of some sort. The next two were smaller sized mixed media on wood which had handicap signs, and pictures of a carousel integrated with paint and other media. There were a few other literal doors, like one entitled "Private" which had the words- "private: keep out" written in the middle. This door also had an additional visual picture of a girl as seen through the aluminum pipes that lined in inside of the small window at the top of the door. One art piece that really caught my eye was one named "Ti Amo". It was also mixed media on wood panel. The colors in this work really drew me in. The bright pink, blue, and purple hues were really entrancing. And after speaking with the artist about that piece, he stated that the colors were what started the initial idea for it. There is a fan like archway above a door that is a picture of an actual door in Rome and a man and woman embracing with the words "ti amo" spray painted in red above them. Another door that I found interesting was called "I can’t be trusted". It was an all white door that laid on its side slightly elevated. Glued onto the front were things like a vodka bottle, torn and mangled junk food labels, a condom, underwear, beer label, dollars and cigarette butts that spelled out the title of the piece. The entire door was covered in chicken wire and what looked to be coffee stains as well. When you walk around to look at the back, you see few bunches of flowers and a small mirror, which can lead the viewer to make some conclusions as to the stark contrast of the front and back of the door. All of Rob’s pieces in this showcase were about doors. The doors we walk into or choose not to walk into to and the choices we make in life. There is no real right or wrong answers to doors. It is about the experiences we have in life through those ones that we choose to walk through and what we as a society can learn about ourselves. Rob Grad is a musician and self taught artist. Having worked in graphic design, lead him to explore other forms of art specializing in mixed media. Since Rob started out in music, it was only natural for him to perform a few songs to go along with the art. The specific songs that he chose were all ones that went along with the concept of the doors and the choices people make in life. It was a soft rock sound with only two guitars and a bass, no drums and meaningful lyrics. Rob is a very talented musician and creative artist with a lot of potential and a lot of great work already under his belt. I can’t wait to see what else he has in store and what doors may lead us to. You can purchase his art and music on his website.
For more information on Rob Grad and the art pieces to go:
http://www.robgrad.com/
For more information about Art Walk to go:
http://www.downtownartwalk.com/
