DISPATCH FROM LA: Missing Stairs

Taking a brief weekend away from the Bay Area, I flew down to Los Angeles for a few excellent reasons: a) the LA Art Book Fair and the wonderful team at Colpa; b) a dear friend‘s installation at Calarts; and c) another dear friend‘s opening at Commonwealth & Council.

Commonwealth & Council is run by Young Chung on the second-floor of multi-business space in LA’s Koreatown neighborhood. Walking through the variously-hued hallways, I passed an Al-Anon meeting, a gated doorway marked “CHURCH” and at least one studio visit in action before entering his pristine gallery space.

Pristine, that is, until I reached what used to be the back wall of the space, where Chung recently tore down a false wall to reveal a hidden stairwell. Steps descend from the gallery to the building’s first floor, but between the gallery and the third floor, only scorch marks and phantom steps remain.

The absence of stairs reinforces their necessity, I realized, as I wondered what we were missing out on in the levels above. [SH]