by Elizabeth Manson
Photos by Nancy Accomando

Maybe you haven’t heard (though judging by the throng of people cruising along Gallery Row November 12th, you probably have), but downtown L.A. is the place to be the second Thursday of every month. On this ever-so-special night, galleries are open later for people to peruse the latest exhibits and just generally get their culture on.

I personally found myself at Crewest Gallery on Winston surrounded by the army of Dia De Los Muertoes-inspired skulls featured in their “Top of the Dome VI” Exhibition. Who got so skull-happy? The entire art world, apparently. “Top of the Dome VI” is an exhibit in which “ceramic skulls [are] customized by dozens of painters, graphic designers, graffiti artists, sculptors, and tattoo artists.” Indeed, the Mesoamerican vibe, though admittedly an inspiring source, is dwarfed by the inevitable street spin that the artists give their skulls. Naturally, then, the crowd skewed a bit younger, a bit hipper (or hipster?).

Not to say that his exhibit is limited to street art aficionados; there is a skull for every artistic taste. Do you like to play with light fixtures? See “Get Her” by Sawa. Do you enjoy poring over nauseatingly intricate ink work? See “Kool Skull” by Kool Skull and feel your eyes melt. Do you walk into a room full of skulls and expect to see a piece so manically macabre that you just have to laugh (or cry)? Look no further than Tate Mosesiah’s “The Sacrifice” where a smug looking skull stands proudly while a severed baby-doll head sits in a pool of painted blood. The pieces vary so drastically that any sense of theme is immediately obsolete.

So if you find yourself skullking around (sorry, I had to) downtown LA, hungry for street art, make sure to see “Top of the Dome VI” while it lasts through November 29th.

Where: Crewest Gallery
When: November 12, 2009
Why: Downtown LA Artwalk (every 2nd Thursday)

For more information go to http://crewest.com or http://downtownartwalk.com.