Following the Nike 10K at USC in the early morning, I went back to L.A. with Carmen, Rachel, and Allie at night. Traffic was crazy. Apparently, a lot of different big events were staged on the same night: UFC 104 at the Staples Center, the Nike Human Race Tailgate Party at USC, and Giant Robot Magazine's Art Exhibition in Little Tokyo. We chose the latter.
After a little exploration around Little Tokyo and a small morsel of takoyaki, we headed over to the art gallery at the Japanese American National Museum. Giant Robot was displaying the work of numerous artists who had collaborated with the magazine. The main attraction featured two of my favorite artists - James Jean and David Choe.
I can't emphasize how great it is to see artwork in person. There is something extraordinary and overwhelming about standing in front of a painting that's twice the size of you. It locks eyes with you; it becomes interactive and conversational. You become a part of that painting.
Art can be strictly aesthetic or it can be intellectually challenging. Sometimes, you look at a new painting and it's strangely familiar or it's a totally fucking mystery. In any case, I always leave an art gallery feeling a little more cultured and educated.
The Good: Seeing the artwork of James Jean and David Choe in person.
The Bad: Traffic on the way to Los Angeles.
The Ugly: Non-existent service at an otherwise awesome restaurant called Zen Cu. May it forever live in infamy.
"Most people wait for their life to happen. Restaurant servers happen to wait for their life." - Bobby Hundreds
