China Art Objects - Steve Hansen
At the turn of the millennium, cheap rent attracted a handful of artists and gallery owners to the quiet Chung King Road and its back alleys, where studios and exhibition spaces were then opened. While the community's leaders needed new tenants to fill spaces left vacant by the departure of Chinatown's traditional businesses, the influx of the art crowd raised fears of gentrification. The two populations ultimately learned to coexist, and the area showed promise in becoming a bustling art mecca, but with the economic downturn, it ultimately failed as a commercial arts district. After ten years, Steve Hansen, founder and owner of China Art Objects - one of Chinatown's most successful galleries - is now moving to Culver City. We spoke with Steve while still in Chinatown.
On Opening A Gallery
"Steve Hansen describes setting up a contemporary art gallery in Chinatown and the process of gentrification the neighborhood has been through."
