Valence Projects

Vienna based oil painter Helen Ifeagwu () explores the visual language of Afrofuturism, merging classical form with contemporary Black expression. Her surreal worlds exist at the crossroads of culture, identity, and imagination.

Read our interview with her now on The Keep Up & see her latest work on view at black in every color. at the Andaz West Hollywood, showing for the first time in the US.

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Next Up • A multimedia presentation of Different Dude, a book by artist • Thursday, October 2nd 7pm.

Author, artist, comedian, reality TV guy, and former twelve-year professional basketball player, Rod Benson, will be presenting his first book, Different Dude accompanied by a presentation of limited edition prints and an all new installation - for a one day only experience.

The evening will be moderated by as Benson guides us through excerpts and video companions from the stories of Different Dude.

Different Dude, released Dec 2023, is a critically acclaimed “memoir” that explores what it means to learn, grow, feel, and eventually unlearn what it means to be alive, told through stories around his unusual basketball career.

“This is not a memoir, and it’s about ‘basketball’ only in the sense that basketball is a way of looking at life.” - Dexter Thomas (Vice Anchor and Public Speaker). Benson will be in conversation with Thomas to help make it make sense.

Taking place during the next , join us along with 20+ galleries downtown for an evening of arts.

Next Exhibition • Parable from Dreamers: Themes on Diasporic Wandering

An exhibition inspired by Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower, is a bold celebration of imagination, unity, and resistance through arts.

Curated by of UNMET.

Opening Saturday, Aug 2nd 5pm
Through Aug 10th.
at THE GALLERY, 107 W 5th St.
RSVP -> bio

Works by:
Asari Aibangebee
Jazmin Johnson
Doug Hickman Jr
Brandon Mathis
Dylan Camp
Cash Cooper
Shaylen Nelson
Tumi Adeleye
Phoenix Moon
Elesia Hendricks .co

Featuring:
Live performances (De’TREON, Ceptemba, & LEÁ THE LEOX)
Airbrush Tees by Aisha
American Style Food Stand by
Curated Open Bar

Event Host: Bria Adams

Sponsors:

In honor of Juneteenth, we’re inviting you to gather for a special Seen event this Wednesday, June 18 at Valence Projects.

We’ll be screening “Black Art: A Brockman Gallery Legacy”. The PBS documentary on the Black-run gallery that transformed LA’s art scene and helped launch movements that still shape us today.

After, we’ll reflect on learning of the past and plans for the present. Opening dialogue and ideas while honoring the creative legacy we inherit.

107 W. 5th St (DTLA)
5–8PM
Film begins at 6PM | Art talk at 7PM
Free w/ RSVP in bio.

LOVE CATS • RERUN Opening June 21st

“Love Cats” is Rerun’s newest solo exhibition, a visual memoir built from 20 works on paper, 30 sticker illustrations, and a human-ready litter box.

Inspired by a relationship that changed shape over time, the show captures moments of love, grief, humor, and reflection, told through Rerun’s signature cat characters.

“This was supposed to be a love story,” he says. “But the story changed. So I painted through it.”
Join us in experiencing a world that’s as raw as it is playful.

Read more at The Keep Up newsletter.

Opening June 21st, 6pm-11pm at Valence Projects