THIS Visits: Jim Smith

Come have a look and listen inside the walls of The Smell as Luis Farfan and Aaron Farley speak with the man behind the D.I.Y. club.

A THIS Visit with Jim Smith of The Smell

Soft-spoken and succinct, Jim Smith is a mild-mannered union organizer and owner and operator of The Smell, a D.I.Y. art and music space in downtown Los Angeles. For more than 10 years The Smell has been dedicated to promoting and championing avant-garde music acts from across the nation.

It was the Delta that gave the Blues a home and the Village Vanguard that housed the burgeoning Jazz scene. Then it was the CBGB that cradled Punk in America. Now we have The Smell and Jim Smith, champions for the sounds of the future, which will go down in the annals of rock and roll history as a birthplace for some of the most exciting and vibrant acts of today.

Come have a look and listen inside the walls of The Smell as Luis Farfan and Aaron Farley speak with the man behind the D.I.Y. club.

Opening Night of Latin American Graphic Design

We’ll keep our recap of last Friday’s opening night of the Latin American Graphic Design show short. Why? Well, because the photos pretty much say it all. It was a lovely time. People lined up outside before the doors even opened in effort to make sure they could snag one of our hand-printed limited edition Incase x THIS x Material tote bags.

We’d like to thank everyone at THIS Los Angeles and all of the designers in the show for making this happen. The Latin American Graphic Design show will be up at THIS Los Angeles in Highland Park from November 5—December 3rd. Stop by! Get a good look at all those fancy fonts!

We’ll see you again at the next THIS Los Angeles opening in mid-December. It’s gonna be massive. And yes, we’ll be making 100 more one-of-a-kind totes for the opening night!

Fake Love By Aaron Rose

Fake Love is the second in a series of three short films by Aaron Rose shot in the Echo Park and Silverlake neighborhoods of Los Angeles using his iPhone 4. The film is Rose’s tribute to teen soap operas, a genre he finds both mystifying and exciting; he feels that American television “is the new avant-garde cinema.”

The story follows a gang of girls, one of whom believes that “fake love” is more exciting than true love. Instead of actors, Rose compiled a group of musicians, poets, writers, photographers and artists that hang out at the notorious all-ages club The Smell in Los Angeles. According to Rose, “They didn’t really have to act because they are such amazing personalities.”

Song: “Positive Amputation” by No Age from the album Everything In Between courtesy of Sub Pop

Viva Diseñadores Gráficos de América Latina!

On Friday night, November 5th, Incase is proud to present opening night of the Latin American Graphic Design show at THIS Los Angeles. In celebration of the opening we’ve created 100 limited-edition tote bags featuring design work by Material. These one of a kind, lovingly hand-printed 10 oz cotton canvas totes are big enough to fit at least 20 lbs of groceries or 40 of your favorite records. Nice, comfy and fun.

Here’s THIS Los Angeles gallery curator Luis Farfan with a few words about the Latin American Graphic Design show:

“Our first in a series of global explorations into the greater design community. THIS turns it’s eye towards the thriving design community of Latin American countries: Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Guatemala, Argentina and Paraguay are all represented by some of the most exciting and interesting designers their nation has to offer. Like Russia in the 20’s, Europe in the 40’s or America in the 60’s; the Latin American region today is undergoing a profound and pronounced social, political and artistic change. Graphic Design has always been a functional art form that is reactionary and informative. It is a tool used to inspire and educate. There is something interesting going on here— we aim to explore and celebrate a unique aesthetic and approach in modern design.”

Located in the Highland Park neighborhood of east Los Angeles, THIS is owned and operated by six of our friends, (photographers Dan Monick, Aaron Farley, and Claire & Jeremy Weiss of Day 19 and graphic designers Justin Van Hoy and Luis Farfan). THIS functions as an art gallery, photography studio, production house, and makeshift live performance venue for the LA-based collective and their fellow artists from around the world.

Since the gallery’s launch earlier this spring, opening nights at THIS have fast become the most eagerly anticipated arts event in town, routinely bringing together hundreds of friends and artists. We believe THIS Los Angeles has goodwill worth supporting, sharing and celebrating. Please join Incase & THIS on Friday, November 5th from 7-to-10 PM for opening night of the Latin American Graphic Design show. And remember, these INCASE x THIS Los Angeles totes are available free (!!!) to the first 100 art lovers/gallery lurkers to skip through the door. Arrive early, grab two!

Have a Spooktacular Happy Halloween

Thanks to our friends at MFG Productions we’re getting our Halloween lurk on early. Please join us Saturday, October 30th, at the legendary Sixth Street Warehouse in spooktacular downtown Los Angeles for a night of costumes, fake blood, blindingly loud bands, sketchy DJs, and free cases for your iPhone 4 and 3GS.

Can you expect wild mayhem? Of course. Carnival games? Yes. Haunted House? Definitely. Best costume contest? Totally. Will Darker My Love, Restaurant, and The Warlocks be playing? Yes, yes, and yes. But remember: Costumes and RSVP Required! Drive safe. Drink water. We’ll see you there.

Calligraffiti Throw-Ups Opening Reception

Last night’s opening reception at Project Space celebrated the new exhibition “Calligraffiti Throw-Ups” with works by Niels “Shoe” Meulman.

Shoe’s mastery of calligraphy and graffitti is apparent in his work. The oversized calligraphy on linen canvas overlaid with spray paint, presents you with a burred visual effect. And to accent these pieces, Shoe went so far as to fill up Christmas ornaments with paint and threw them against the walls to create paint blotches and drips. Simply beautiful.

Thank you to all who came out last night— Eric Haze, Andrew Schoultz, C.R. Stecyk and the rest of our friends. For those unable to attend, be sure to visit Project Space to see Shoe’s “Calligraffit Throw-Ups” on display through November 21.

Calligraffiti Throw-Ups

The Project Space exhibition “Calligraffiti Throw-Ups” is a new series of carbon acrylic on linen canvas works inspired by Shoe’s love for baseball, mayhem and cosmic unconsciousness.

Born, raised and based in Amsterdam, Meulman began tagging “Shoe” in 1979 and became a graffiti legend by the time he was 18. In the eighties, he met New York graffiti artists like Dondi, Rammellzee, Haze, Quik and Keith Haring after which he then formed the Crime Time Kings with Bando from Paris and Mode2 from London. Together, they gave graffiti in Europe its own distinctive style.

Project Space Presents “Calligraffiti Throw-Ups”

We are proud to announce our next exhibition at Project Space with Niels “Shoe” Meulman, internationally known artist, graphic designer and art director.

Born, raised and based in Amsterdam, Meulman began tagging “Shoe” in 1979 and became a graffiti legend by the time he was 18. In the eighties, he met New York graffiti artists like Dondi, Rammellzee, Haze, Quik and Keith Haring after which he then formed the Crime Time Kings with Bando from Paris and Mode2 from London. Together, they gave graffiti in Europe its own distinctive style.

In the nineties, he furthered his technique by apprenticing under Dutch graphic design master Anthon Beeke. Shoe proceeded to run his own design company, Caulfield & Tensing, and was a partner in advertising agency Unruly, which he later turned into a brand for silk scarves.



Shoe is recognized for revolutionizing the art of writing with Calligraffiti, an art form that combines masterful calligraphy skills with the speed and attitude of graffiti. He launched this movement in 2007 with a successful solo exhibition in Amsterdam. Since then, his Calligraffiti pieces, which he signs NSM, have been presented in various international exhibitions. 



In 2010, the book Calligraffiti – The Graphic Art of Niels Shoe Meulman was launched in Berlin and Shoe has since been touring to present the book and his art.

The Project Space exhibition “Calligraffiti Throw-Ups” is a new series of carbon acrylic on linen canvas works inspired by Shoe’s love for baseball, mayhem and cosmic unconsciousness.

Opening Reception: Thurs, Oct 21, 7pm – 10pm

Exhibition: Oct 21 – Nov 21

Project Space
603 North La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles CA 90036
+1-323-938-8818
Wednesday – Sunday
11am – 7pm

THIS Visits: Danger

The 3rd video in the THIS Visits series features collage artist Danger. He refuses to participate with the world around him and has a general disdain for humanity. That said, he is mildly obsessed with Lady Gaga and has a real fondness for Roxy Music and Ladytron.