China Art Objects Galleries is a contemporary art gallery co-founded by a group of artists in Los Angeles in 1999. Founder Steve Hanson moved the gallery to Mérida, Mexico in 2021.

History

Named after a box sign attached to the unit, China Art Objects was founded in 1999 by a group of friends that included Peter Kim, Amy Yao, Mark Heffernan, Steve Hanson, and

Giovanni Intra Giovanni Intra (May 1968 – 17 December 2002) was an artist, writer, and art dealer who moved from his native New Zealand to the United States in 1996. Life Intra was born in Auckland in 1968 and grew up in Turangi, a small town in the centre ...

. The gallery evolved out of the critical theory program at the Art Center College of Design in

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...

where they had been students. The gallery was first located in Los Angeles'

Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...

neighborhood on Chung King Road, and the gallery was instrumental in bringing about a renaissance in Los Angeles art and in particular the Chinatown district. Designed by artist Pae White, the gallery officially opened its doors in January 1999. Shortly after its opening, the gallery became mainly a project of artist/writer/critic Intra and artist/musician/librarian Hanson (with Heffernan staying on as a silent partner). China Art Objects exhibited a new generation of Los Angeles artists, as well as presenting international projects. Early exhibitions included solo and two person presentations by

Laura Owens Laura Owens (born 1970) is an American painter, gallery owner and educator. She emerged in the late 1990s from the Los Angeles art scene. She is known for large-scale paintings that combine a variety of art historical references and painterly te ...

& Scott Reeder,

Jorge Pardo Jorge Pardo may refer to: *Jorge Pardo (artist) *Jorge Pardo (musician) (born 1955), Spanish musician *J. D. Pardo Jorge Daniel Pardo (born September 7, 1980) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Jack Toretto in '' F9'' (2021), as ...

& Bob Weber,

Sharon Lockhart Sharon Lockhart (born 1964) is an American artist whose work considers social subjects primarily through motion film and still photography, often engaging with communities to create work as part of long-term projects. She received her BFA from th ...

& George Porcari,

Frances Stark Frances Stark (born 1967) is an interdisciplinary artist and writer, whose work centers on the use and meaning of language, and the translation of this process into the creative act. She often works with carbon paper to hand-trace letters, words, a ...

Jon Pylypchuk Jon Pylypchuk (born 1972) is a Canadian painter and sculptor, living and working in Los Angeles. Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Pylypchuk studied in 1996 at the Yale University Summer School of Music and Art, New Haven, earned a BFA with Hono ...

, Eric Wesley,

Jonathan Horowitz Jonathan Horowitz (born 1966) is a New York-based artist working in video, sculpture, sound installation, and photography. Horowitz critically examines the cultures of politics, celebrity, cinema, war, and consumerism. From found footage, Horowitz ...

, David von Schlegell,

Angus Fairhurst Angus Fairhurst (4 October 1966 – 29 March 2008) was an English artist working in installation, photography and video. He was one of the Young British Artists (YBAs). Life and work Angus Fairhurst was born in Pembury, Kent. Having attended ...

R.H. Quaytman R. H. Quaytman (born 1961) is an American contemporary artist, best known for paintings on wood panels, using abstract and photographic elements in site-specific "Chapters", now numbering 35. Each chapter is guided by architectural, historical an ...

, Jennifer Moon, Morgan Fisher,

Sean Landers Sean Landers (born 1962) is an American artist. He is best known for using his personal experience as public subject matterHa, Paul, Cynthia Daignault and Michelle Reyes Landers, eds. Sean Landers: 1990–1995, Improbable History. Zürich: JRP, ...

Walead Beshty Walead Beshty (born London, UK, 1976) is a Los Angeles-based artist and writer. Beshty was an associate professor in the Graduate Art Department at Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, and has taught at numerous schools including University of ...

, and

Julie Becker Julie Becker (1972–2016) was an interdisciplinary American artist. She earned her BFA and MFA at CalArts in Los Angeles. Becker earned early acclaim for her 1996 installation ''Researchers, Residents, A Place to Rest''. Her works have appeared ...

. Alongside the exhibition program in that first year, the gallery hosted a record release party for

Stephen Prina Stephen Prina (born 1954) is an American artist. His work has been categorized as post-conceptualism. Prina is a professor at the Department of Visual and Environmental Studies (VES) at Harvard University. Early life and education Born in 1954, in ...

, a poetry reading with Mike Kelley, and a

Mia Doi Todd Mia Doi Todd (born June 30, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter. She was described by ''Dusted Magazine'' as "one of those artists that seem to function not just as creators in their own right, but as connecting links between other musicians." ...

concert in an alleyway adjacent to the gallery. Indie label Kill Rock Stars donated their discography for the basement record library, housed in a secret room designed by Andy Ouchi and Andy Alexander. In 2002, co-founder Intra unexpectedly died in New York City after attending the opening for one of the gallery's artists. In an obituary for '' Frieze'', Will Bradley wrote, "Giovanni Intra died much too young on 17 December 2002 in Manhattan. He will be remembered for his achievements as an artist, writer and co-founder of China Art Objects Galleries in Los Angeles, and equally for his enthusiasm, intelligence, integrity, warmth and all-around obvious decency in an art world where those characteristics can sometimes be in short supply." A history of the space up to 2005 was published as a chapter in ''Recent Pasts: Art in Southern California from the 90s to Now''. China Art Objects is currently run by original founder Hanson and wife Tuesday Yates. Hanson has exhibited under the name Leo Mock. In 2010, the gallery moved from its landmark Chinatown location to

Culver City, California Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. Founded in 1917 as a "whites only" sundown town, it is now an ethnically diverse city with what was called the "third-most d ...

. In 2021, Hanson and Yates moved China Art Objects to Mérida, Mexico. Their inaugural exhibition was "The Notebook" by

Cuban Cuban may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban citizen, a perso ...

artist Marco Castillo, founder of Los Carpinteros arts collective.

References

{{Authority control Art museums and galleries in Los Angeles Contemporary art galleries in the United States Art in Greater Los Angeles Art museums and galleries established in 1999 1999 establishments in California