More often than not, when you think of graffiti you think of juvenile delinquents or property defacing criminals. Notwithstanding that fact, the situation has been changing over the years and now graffiti art has now gone from the streets to the gallery. Los Angeles is home to one of the world's premier street art galleries known as Lab Art. Owned and curated by brother and sister team, Iskander Lemseffer and Rachel Joelson, the Lab Art Gallery Los Angeles celebrated its first anniversary. The anniversary show, “The Usual Suspects” is a showcase of 17 Street Artists including Desire Obtain Cherish, DD$, CYRCLE, Fragile, Gregory Siff, Alec Monopoly, Mar, Louis XXX, and Lydia Emily.

Iskander advises: "What we have done here is to give Street Art the place it deserves in Art History. By showcasing Street Art in a gallery it gains the attention it deserves and gives it a place in contemporary art." And what a place it is! Pieces can run upwards of thousands of dollars. Yet many of these artists are socially conscience. For example, Lydia Emily is part of a collective, The Karma Underground [http://thekarmaunderground.com], a group dedicated to supporting the people of Tibet and their goal of remaining a unique and unified culture by assisting with logistics and raising money.

The Usual Suspects' exhibit displays art including paintings, mixed media, and installations, that range from tongue-in-cheek to satirical in tone. Iconic images from pop culture and American history become art subject matter. Nothing is safe from commentary, as the art works poke fun at everything from symbols of materialism like Louis Vuitton and Starbucks to, well, the infamous LA Hipsters.

Lab Art Gallery
217 S. La Brea Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323-933-1021
info@LabArtGallery.com
www.LabArtGallery.com

Photography by Paula Lauren Gibson/AfroPix