&& Gallery sits in the heart of Koreatown in Los Angeles. It is a cozy space featuring pop-contemporary art from various independent artists around the world. With sculptures, clothing, prints, and other products, && helps bring crafts emphasizing subcultures to the forefront.
&& Gallery was founded by Edie Xu, originally from Maryland, who moved to Los Angeles about 16 years ago.
“I was really interested in the lowbrow art movement… the Pop surrealist art movement,” Xu explained. “That was also the same time with the super flat movement in Japan and everything. That was what I was really really interested in.”
Having attended numerous conventions and connecting with independent artists, Xu noticed that at the time, there were a lot of conventions, events, and exhibitions that were IP based, following video games, cartoons, shows, etc. However, despite the growth of IP-based art, they noticed that a lot of their friends “were branching off and trying to introduce their own independent stuff and not just fanart prints.”
Focusing on this disconnect, Xu’s first endeavor was “Capsule corner” at the Hive Gallery. This gallery was themed after gatchapon, Japanese toy machines containing capsules with small collectibles inside, and worked as a commentary on art and commodification. They describe how it was an avenue to look at how people place value in items, a direct comparison to the similar treatment of art.
With the && location, the first exhibition was hosted in December 2023. This pop-up event “Crisalys, Sofubi Pop Up Show 2023” was curated by artist Crisalys and featured nine other guest artists. Since then, Xu has completed 16 other shows in the space with artists that create illustrations, wood cuts, and even apparel companies.
“A lot of these artists are folks that I have known or worked with for quite some time,” Xu explained, regarding how they find artists to exhibit. “[I also] really enjoy going out and traveling and going to fairs.”
&& Gallery also works as an online and offline retail site and offers giclee printing services. This way, even artists with illustrations that are not based in Los Angeles are able to showcase and sell their work at && Gallery. When it comes to sculptures and other mediums, those would have to be carefully shipped.
For the October 2024 exhibit “Turn It Up! To 100˚C,” Xu centered the show around TOMOTAKA, an artist they have followed for a long time based in Japan. Xu had the opportunity to visit Tokyo in February and went to Gallerie Le Monde, a risograph printing focused gallery. This allowed them to get connected with TOMOTAKA‘s manager, leading to their current collaboration. Since this was the first time TOMOTAKA’s art was exhibited in the United States, Xu wanted to pair her art with two artists with similar vibes.
The two artists chosen were Choo and Pepperonccini. The latter had the opportunity to appear at the Closing Reception for this show on October 28th. This event featured a raffle of their art and a signing event.
Pepperonccini explained that this was their first gallery show. They were approached by Xu and when they learned that their art would be next to Choo and TOMOTAKA they recalled, “I was scared… I aspire to be as good as them!”
When it came to their art, Pepperonccini explained how they focused on using neon colors, combining different colors, and using different textures.
“Drawings have a flavor,” they explained, “[like] super sour candy.”
For the future of &&, Xu describes how it is a challenge at times, but one worth facing to showcase these creatives.
“I’m trying to just go with the flow for now when it comes to this,” they said. “It’s hard… In terms of not having to compromise the overall vision of just providing space to exhibit artwork in and making it like a retail store and worry about that bottom line every month.”
When asked if there are any plans for expanding or moving to a new space, Xu articulated the importance of staying in the K-town area.
“If it’s possible, expansion sure… I’ve been doing this for a long time. I want this area to have something like this,” they said.
&& Gallery is continuing its unique shows into 2025. Happening now is the group exhibition “「 FACE VALUE 」” which will run from January 31st to February 17th. This exhibit features 19 different artists and sets out to challenge how people think about identity and the human face, especially in this digital age. With no signs of stopping, && Gallery continues to bring independent artists closer to fans of art and pop culture.
