In anticipation of the upcoming opening of the Frieze Los Angeles 2024 this Thursday, Feb. 29, many of the city's galleries have unveiled new exhibitions and showcased hidden "ace" installations the past weekend.
The Pit Art Gallery is one of these art spaces and is home to some of the industry's most unorthodox and quirky artworks.
However, unlike the mainstays of LA, The Pit's opening was extra special as it is the space's first show since transferring from its Glendale, CA location, where founders Adam D. Miller and Devon Oder spent the last decade fostering its renown as representatives of weird, quirky shows.
The Pit Art Gallery's Origin in Glendale
The gallery is in its best shape for welcoming the start of the Frieze week after relocating to the new 13,000-square-foot industrial building in the Atwater Village neighborhood in LA.
Standing at 3015 Dolores Street, the new space is a short drive away from The Pit's legacy location in California and includes an 8,000-square-foot exhibition space divided across offices, on-site storage, three full-sized galleries, a private viewing room, a ceramics studio, and most importantly, a spacious parking lot.
In a statement to Artnews, Oder recalled both her and her partner Miller's reaction upon first inspection of the space, saying that they felt it was "perfect for the growth" they intend to achieve in the year's new quarter.
The latter even said that the "original sentiments" scattered in their first space in Glendale were also present in the new location, prompting the duo to think of its "boundless potential."
These "sentiments" trace back to the gallery's founding back in 2014 when it was still considered something of an "anomaly," especially in its original Glendale studio.
The area, despite its many artist inhabitants, all with their studios, is not known for art galleries or any other kinds of art spaces. In contrast, many art collectors and dealers usually gravitate more toward the Downtown Arts District of LA or straight-up Hollywood.
That said, both Oder and Miller saw this as an asset and not as a weakness, as The Pit Glendale values their proximity with other artists more than their prospective appeal to collectors. Miller cited their background as an artist themselves as the core reason behind this.
Their focus on artists lent a sort of "unassuming magical presence" to their eventual opening in July of 2014, representing eight LA-based artists, including Mary Weatherford, Shana Lutker, Mungo Thomson, and Jon Pestoni.
By the time of the gallery's third show, curators from all around the country have been hooked by this "unexplainable appeal" that its exhibitions exude.
Where The Pit is Heading After its LA Transfer
After five years of operation in the Glendale location, The Pit was starting to exhaust its available spaces. Oder even shared that this exhaustion of space in their original building became a running joke and that the gallery has "made use of every inch of that space."
At that period, the duo finally felt "it was time" to move on to greener pastures, or in their case, bigger ones.
Of course, the move wasn't at all expeditious because the pair spent a lot of time waiting for the perfect location that had the same "DIY-like vibe" that made their initial shows successful.
Besides, Miller explained that they didn't want to follow the "hype train" launched by other galleries who transferred to Downtown LA or Hollywood.
The decision to transfer also came easily because, according to Miller, the "charm of being off the beaten path" isn't making sense anymore for the artists under their care, especially considering the long-term effects of stubbornly clinging to this "charm."
Eventually, they pulled the trigger and made up their mind to move into the much larger LA facility.
That said, ahead of this move, the duo first opened up a satellite extension of the gallery in Palm Springs, CA, which was presented during the height of the pandemic when a lot of business owners had to, unfortunately, close up shop.
This particular space proved to be beneficial and now acts as a counterpart to the new LA location for the "casual" vibe it exudes, which is thanks to its position in one of the city's main downtown strips.
Miller and Oder look forward to the future of the gallery following its move to the current LA flagship location, specifically because the bigger space now allows them to onboard more established artists and their estates.
