Slow Culture: LA’s Art Gallery on the Rise

If there is only one art gallery you need to know about right now, it’s Slow Culture, a creative multipurpose space in one of the coolest neighborhoods in Los Angeles. 


I first got wind of Slow Culture through the globetrotting duo of Matt and Julia. The two world travelers from Australia recently popped off in Venice and informed us of the new exhibition currently showing, Deeds, Not Words. The installation is curated by Matt and his partner, Ed Davis, and shares work from a variety of talented photographers — 24 to be exact, hailing from the US, Australia, and Europe. Deeds, Not Words is a photography exhibition celebrating the do’ers in life, the ones who go after what they want. The ones who aren’t afraid, but rather fearless and steadfast. They partake in life and don’t just talk about it. “There are two kinds of people in this world, the do’ers and the gonna do’ers.” states Slow Culture.

After hearing about the show and being personally inspired by the message, I started wondering why I don’t participate in the art scene and attend more shows. I appreciate art of all kinds, really — there are pieces that I am attracted to and love to look at, while other pieces make me uncomfortable and a little jumpy… ok, and confused. But isn’t that the journey of art? To discover how a particular piece makes you feel, unpleasant or not? Just like experiencing music, art is personal… to the creator and the viewer.

slowculture

slowculture

Slow Culture, industrial and simplistically styled, is the perfect scene for both avid art-goers and those like me — interested, and yeah, maybe a little intimidated by the whole thing. The art scene in LA is as diverse as they come. Shows and exhibitions happen all over the city, every night of the week, and on multiple levels ranging from high-brow, to punk, to garage, to coffee shop, to underground and highly conceptual. So all us bashful art fans have to do is look for it and be open to the experiencing the show. Frederick Guerrero, one of the owners of Slow Culture, understands how art may be intimidating to someone outside of the scene. “We’re all about the community aspect here — we want to make everyone feel welcome.” The gallery is a place where friends drop in to say hello and discuss LA’s pop culture, listen to music, and share a coffee from next door while Fred’s boston terrier, Larry, runs around. Welcoming, in deed.

Slow Culture got their name from Chief Culture Officer, a book about being aware of the fast culture (the internet, social media, cell phones) while choosing to preserve the slow culture (physical art, handwritten letters, the beauty of conversation). And these guys are living up to their name. They’ve hosted over 30 events in the last two years ranging from art exhibitions, live music shows, installations, art collectives, and pop up fashion shops. Their community of artists consist of friends, well-known talents and emerging creatives still in school. So what does the future hold for these native Highland Parkers? “We’re looking at curating events globally, like in China and Berlin. We want to keep connecting and building a strong community of artists.” With a strong passion for celebrating all works of art and keeping their community a focus, I am quite certain we’ll see them do exactly that.

slowculture

slowculture

slowculture

slowculture

slowculture

Deeds, Not Words will be showing until Sunday, July 26. After the exhibition, Slow Culture will be hosting a two-year anniversary party on Friday, August 7 and will be holding an opening reception from 6-10pm for Milk and Honey: Contemporary Art in California, curated by Justin Van Hoy. Other artists include Harper Smith, Day 19, Curtis Buchanan and many, many more.

Thank you Fred! For all things Slow Culture, check out their website and follow them on Instagram!

Any avid art fans out there? Or are you interested but just haven’t been able to explore the scene like me? I would love to hear from you!

Follow fp joanna on Instagram.

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8 years ago

For quite some time now, I’ve held a love for art inside me. Of course, it’s still a small flower budding and blooming, but it’s absolutely there and growing steadily. I definitely do not have much experience with the scene just yet…but, I’m hoping to give it all a deeper look with careful eyes soon enough. Maybe even today.

http://thoughtdweller.blogspot.com/

8 years ago

Looks like such a peaceful and creative place!
If I ever visit LA, I’ll definitely stop by this Gallery :)
xx
https://woodlandhalls.wordpress.com

8 years ago

Sounds Totally Cool, I’ll have to check it out! …I love the “idea” and even more the “practice” of Slow Culture… and although I am sort of partial to words, I do agree that deeds are what really matters….Thank you so much for sharing – I love hearing about hidden gems within the City of Angels!

The Weaver Of Words…..give me 15 words and I’ll tell you a tale
http://instagram.com/theweaverofwords

8 years ago

As an LA resident, I love the eclectic mix of art exhibits around every corner. Definitely will check it out!

http://www.secretsofsocal.com