When choreographer and dancer Morleigh Steinberg and singer/songwriter Frally Hynes started their gallery Arcane Space in Venice Beach, they wanted to host a variety of artists.
Open since October 2017, the space has featured the likes of U2’s The Edge, videos or still work accompanied by music and a recent project featuring a dancer and five photographers.
They also offer artist talks and books signings, workshops and lectures.
Through Sunday, Dec. 17, the gallery is displaying “Inglewood Cathedral,” a series of paintings by Los Angeles and Berlin-based artist Lucas Reiner, the son of actor/comedian Carl Reiner.
The artist will give a talk at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10, at the gallery. Reservations are encouraged, as space is limited.
Steinberg has known Reiner since she was in grade school and has followed his work for years. When she met with him two months ago, she proposed him doing a show at the gallery.
In his work, he often explores trees in his residential neighborhood as his subject matter.
“It’s how he speaks about it, about these trees being a sacred space,” Steinberg said.
“He was referencing a cathedral in Italy. There was a pathway of trees that led to the cathedral. It was this sacred space that you passed through to get to the church. He was like, ‘The sacred space is also the trees. Why can’t we consider the trees in our city as a sacred and spiritual place as we walk in Inglewood?’ I just loved that idea. To be able to look at your city and see it in a different way, with a different reverence, I think that’s just a gorgeous way to look at how you live.”
Next year, there are plans to bring back the “20’s/20s Show,” which highlights the work of young, emerging artists in their twenties. It is open to sculptors, painters, mixed-media artists, poets, spoken word musicians, photographers and digital artists.
“I’m amazed at how productive and prolific some of these artists are, whether it’s video work, drawings or photography. That’s one of the things I want to do every year is produce a 20’s/20s Show,’’ Steinberg said.
Steinberg said having her own space means she doesn’t have to wait years to present programming — especially that of artists who don’t typically show in more traditional gallery spaces.
“We work with people who have never showed before and have good work — younger and older — and people who work professionally in a different way but just aren’t part of the gallery circuit,” Steinberg said.
Steinberg said, for her, it is important to highlight the artists and their work in a deeper way.
“I’m not so interested in putting pretty pictures on the wall,” Steinberg said.
“It’s always the story behind it, the story of the artist and the story of that body of work. That to me is one of the most important things.”
Steinberg said each exhibition transforms the space in a different way.
“We’re not just photography,” Steinberg said.
“We’re not just paintings. Every time someone comes and experiences a show, it’s different. … Even though it’s a tiny space, I love the magic of how art can transform our brains, our hearts and just physical space.
“I think people are always excited to see the space because it’s always something new, something they haven’t seen and also new artists or people they have heard of but never know they had such a rich visual arts life.”
For many of the exhibitions, Steinberg creates limited-edition catalogues and books of their work.
In the space, Steinberg and Hynes have presented their work.
Steinberg said within this creative space, she has had the chance to explore more visual arts, including photography.
She has always expressed herself through different aspects of her life and doesn’t separate one art form from another.
“For me, making work, whether it’s dance, designing a building or making dinner, for me my life is very connected,” Steinberg said.
“Whether you are painting or taking a picture, for me personally, it’s all very connected. I like seeing that connectivity between the art forms. I do love ceramics. I’ve always done a lot of ceramics. I wanted to be an architect. My main expression has been through my body, but we move through our body every day. How someone walks in the supermarket to me could be a dance.”
During the pandemic, she exhibited “If We Can’t Fix It-It Ain’t Busted,” which was inspired by the life of her grandfather, a cameraman in Hollywood.
“He came to America in the ’30s and came to Los Angeles for the movie business,” Steinberg said.
“But he also had a workshop, so he constantly made things. Also in the film industry, he had to make parts because technology was changing. He also had time not only to build things but to shoot film, to collect. I was looking at this life, which was so amazing and so full and so different from how a lot of us spend time now in this century. It was looking at a 20th-century life, 1904 to 1985, going from analog to digital.”
The display featured her grandfather’s cameras, film equipment tools and handmade objects, as well as photographs from the Golden Age of Hollywood and a dollhouse crafted by her grandfather.
“It was in reaction to this digital age that we live in now, where everything is so fast, and we’re always on our phone. … Everyone is so into recycling. It’s very different. Back in the 20th century, which is what I focused on, the meaning was completely different. People worked with their hands. They took something and repurposed it. That was recycling,” Steinberg said.
From the start, Steinberg and Hynes had a similar vision — wanting to work with and nurture artists. They can do this despite both living very busy lives.
Steinberg also has a production company called the Arcane Collective. Both she and Hynes tour and live internationally as well.
Steinberg said Arcane Space has never been a traditional gallery space.
“I don’t consider myself a gallerist, more than just a presenter and producer of work and an artist myself. We are just doing things our own way,” Steinberg said.
She is a Los Angeles native whose family has been in Venice since the ’70s. She said her ties to Venice Beach inspired her to want to open a gallery space there.
“My family is based there,” Steinberg said. “My parents live there. My sister lives and works there. It’s home, and really it’s an exciting hub for artists. Venice Beach has a good history of artists making work.”
Hynes also has ties to the area.
Their landlords are longtime Venice residents who are dedicated to supporting the artists. Steinberg said this has been important during a time when rents are increasing, and arts spaces are becoming rarer.
The space has never been about making money. Steinberg said any profits go back into supporting artists.
“A lot of times, it comes out of our pockets, but it’s so worth it to me, working with artists and giving them an opportunity. I’m just appreciative of Arcane Space, that it is like an old-time Venice arts space,” Steinberg said.
“It’s a great creative space. I’m so happy to share it with the community and with artists. It gives me a lot of joy.”
Arcane Space is a small gallery space of 17 by 18 feet, but the two owners have found ways to use it in different ways.
“It’s a jewel box space. … It has a great vibe to it. It’s a magical, little space, and it’s been wonderful to curate,” Steinberg said.
When they moved into the gallery, the owners changed the building, painting the whole space white, including the floors. They also added a wall so they could create separate areas.
There is also an artist space next door, rented by the neighboring restaurant, that the gallery owners have used for shows.
Over the years, Arcane has garnered a loyal and devoted following.
They regularly take part in the Venice Art Walk, and Steinberg said patrons regularly find the space while wandering the city.
“People come down to Venice to discover things,” Steinberg said.
“They go and eat something, and they walk into our building and discover art. I love it when people don’t know what they are walking into. They come in, and they are always pleasantly surprised.”
Arcane Space
324 Sunset Avenue, Unit G, Venice
310-457-6348
www.arcanespacela.com