The grotesque on display at annual lowbrow exhibition

Share: By the time one enters La Luz de Jesus gallery, the vibe has been thoroughly set. The gallery itself is located inside a huge, eclectic gift shop called Soap Plant/Wacko — selling kitschy art, vintage toys, taxidermy and occult reference guides. The building’s exterior features an angular, geometric mural with two huge eyes gazing placidly over Hollywood Boulevard. Yet even with that priming, some of the work in the gallery this month may shock guests. There are portraits of monsters rendered in photorealistic detail, …

Artist Taiji Terasaki invites to celebrate heroes at border

Share: There’s a saying that history repeats itself, and those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. As a way to remember history, artist Taiji Terasaki created an art exhibition called “Transcendients: Heroes at Border” to celebrate and remind everyone of the heroes — past and present, well-known and unsung — who’ve created an impact in our lives.  Terasaki’s exhibition features heroes in the Japanese American communities, as well as local activists, who continue to fight for democracy and justice. Typically, one …