Wonderland Gallery is Kat Von D's latest venture, which she opened in 2010 right next door to the LA Ink space. For those of you who don't know who Kat is - she is an incredible tattoo artist and has become quite a celebrity. Watching some of the LA Ink TV show will give you a better feel for her presence than any words or slick, airbrushed photographs can portray. Adept at realistic rendering, Kat's portraits on flesh are excellent as well as her design sense - she can merge a new image within previous tattoos very gracefully and cleanly. She has a very engaging way about her, a friendly and warm manner, enthusiastic about great art, fashion and music. She is very young to have so much success and the shallow pressures of the cosmetic Hollywood image are taking their toll on her. I hope she can rise about it all and concentrate on what really matters in life, retaining the attitude and integrity that made her unique, a kick-ass woman in a tattoo art world previously dominated by men.
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| Tattoo by Kat Von D |
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| Tattoo by Kat Von D |
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| Tattoo by Kat Von D |
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| Tattoo by Kat Von D |
The current exhibit at Wonderland is Kevin Llewellyn's - "The Unsaid", which Eclectix previously posted about (link here.) This excellent exhibit has been up for a very, very long time and there doesn't seem to be any news on their site about future shows. Disappointing, as I have been secretly cheering Kat on - to kick some newbrow ass into the LA art world. The exterior has great circus-like signage (top foto) which looks like it came from an old amusement park, right out of the neon boneyard. The gallery itself is a nice space, decorated in Victorian-vintage-Goth-salon style. Beautiful and lush antique furnishings with incredible frames on all Kevin's art. A small shop area in the front contains a solid selection of art books, fierce glittering platform heels, taxidermy relics and other one-of-a-kind accessories for the tragically hip. 
The whole ambiance of the space was right up my alley - lots of red and black, velvets, carved gold and interesting, creepy fringe items. We had 4-5 questions about the art and merchandise while we visited - sadly, none of the employees could answer any of them and didn't offer to refer us to someone who could. Wonderland obviously has a creative and imaginative vision behind it, the window displays were a funky and surreal treat and the overall experience was chock full of arty inspiration. Just one last question- Kat, when and what is the next show?
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| Window display, Wonderland Gallery |
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Window display, Wonderland Gallery
We ducked into LA Ink next door to check out all the fantastic art on their walls. A veritable gallery itself, the folks were nice enough to let us wander around the tattoo area to eyeball the abundant imagery, lots of great originals by some of our favorite artists. Really loved the "The Four Agreements" text (bottom image) that was gorgeously framed on the wall - wonderfully perfect words to live by! |
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