Art Spotting: Gallery (P)reviews
By Andie Villafañe

Monkey House Gallery
Here’s a place where you won’t get yelled at for touching the art. Monkeyhouse Toys and Art Gallery showcases contemporary artists within a relaxed and playful atmosphere. Located in Silver Lake, its tactile appeal and fun, kitschy inventory is motivation enough to leave downtown. The space came about as an alternative to commercial toy stores, with items ranging from silly off-the-wall two-headed monkeys that squeak when you squeeze them, to more educational MC Escher lizard puzzles, all with the goal of providing kids with original, expressive art pieces. This is an inspiring and pocket-friendly place to begin any art collection. This July, Monkeyhouse presents us with "Six + Six," a 12 man show featuring The Six Collective who invited six additional street artists to join them. The show consists of more than forty paintings created with such diverse techniques as spray paint, stencils and wheat paste, as well as a few collages and mixed media paintings. Their pieces are self-described as "disturbed, drippy, and fun." The culmination of the "Six + Six" is a large-scale collaborative canvas—colored by more of the group’s offbeat humor, which fits in perfectly with the Monkeyhouse experience. Show opens July 7th, closes 25th. Store hours are Tuesday thru Saturday, 12 – 6 pm; Sunday 12 – 5 pm. 1618 ½ Silver Lake Blvd., LA 90026. Between Effie and Berkeley. (323) 662-3437

High Energy Constructs Gallery
High Energy Constructs presents "Black Mirror," a group exhibition of painting, photography and sculpture by artists from California, New York and Germany. The show’s name alludes to small, convex mirrors historically used by psychics and painters of the picturesque movement to view landscapes as an abstracted reflection. Imagine standing with your back to a scene and holding up a small darkly tinted mirror to view the frame. The selected works in this exhibit explore dueling notions of natural and unnatural elements, and focuses on synthesizing abstracted subjects from our deconstructed landscapes. Sounds like the supernatural is undergoing psychoanalysis. Now there’s a session I wouldn’t miss! Friday thru Saturday, 11 – 6 pm. Show closes July 21st. 990 N. Hill Street, #180 tucked away on the northern edge of Chinatown (323) 227-7920

Pharmaka Gallery
Pharmaka: a spell, charm, a painter’s colors [from Ancient Greek]: This collective began with a dinner conversation between two artists and a curator that grew into a weekly dialog among painters who believe deeply in the original virtue of their craft. Inspired by these meetings, which date to 2003, the founders wrote a manifesto declaring the relevance of painting with all genres created equal. Their passion for painting produced such a huge body of work that their first show was held at three locations: Hollywood, Silver Lake, and the downtown Bedlam Warehouse. In January 2005, they established their own space in the heart of Gallery Row to continue addressing the question of what it means to be a painter in the context of today’s art world. "Then and Now – Painters and Their Process" is the culmination of the 21 artists who have participated in this discussion over the last few years. But be warned, Pharmaka also means remedy or poison! Wednesday thru Saturday 12 – 6 pm. NW corner of 5th and Main. (213) 689-7799

LMAN Gallery
This favorite Chinatown gallery supports a wide spectrum of emerging and mid career contemporary Asian artists from LA and beyond who demonstrate their artistry and heritage through their chosen medium. This month they break away from the usual solo shows to feature the first group exhibit of LMAN gallery artists, each of whom bring a high degree of craftsmanship to their unique vision. Although the works of these artists vary in subject matter, they all share an original approach to content. Media ranges from paintings, prints and intricate paper collage works to thought-provoking photographs and humorous mixed-media sculptural pieces. Come by opening night on July 7th for dance and music performances, comedy and fashion shows, lion dance and martial arts demonstrations all packed into a fundraising evening of raffles and silent auction to benefit the dreamHELP foundation. Wednesday thru Saturday, 12 – 6 pm. 949 Chung King Rd, Chinatown. (213) 628-3883

InfusionGallery
J. Coleman Miller unveils a series of digital photography abstract prints for his first solo show “Apparitions from Blu Lagoon.” Of the 100+ images stemming from this photographer’s lifetime vision of finding the perfect combination of art and technology, 25 were selected as most compelling. Miller’s works convey a deep sense of emotional connection, touching viewers with engaging, dreamlike images and unearthing darker, ghostly scenes as though from a childhood nightmare. This collection of large canvas giclée prints feel more like impressionistic paintings and claims to make Los Angeles its first stop as part of a worldwide tour. Could this be true? Infusion Gallery, Tuesday thru Saturday from 12 – 6 pm. 719 South Spring Street. (213) 683-8827