Last Dangerous Curve Exhibition to be 'For Mike'

Ed Fuentes

Dangerous Curve in the Downtown Los Angeles Arts District

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Dangerous Curve will be closing its gallery doors with a final exhibition April 26 – May 17. Unfortunately, that’s not the sad part.

The final show for the experimental Arts District gallery and performance space will be a memorial exhibition for Michael Cho, the UCLA art student who was shot and killed by La Habra Police on December 31, 2007. Cho was a UCLA grad who found a home at Dangerous Curve since the first opening receptions and often helped out owners Tim Quinn and Kathryn Hargraves during opening nights.

Tim spoke at Cho’s service, where he said: "When Michael graduated from UCLA, he made a very interesting choice. While the rest of the art world is trying to erase the past, he chose to travel to Korea to study with a master ceramicist [Yi Chun], to learn the ancient craft of his ancestors. When he returned, he told us of making pot after pot, only to slice them in half before firing. By this method, he learned to control the clay.”

Quinn adds that he learned this was the way a skill has been passed down through generations, refined by constant repetition and sharing, teaching one how to move forward “humbly, traditionally, and respectfully."

The lesson is being passed on. Cho’s work shared humbly and respectfully, as a celebration, from April 26 to May 17, 2008.

"For Mike" / Michael Cho Memorial Exhibition / Dangerous Curve / 1020 Fourth Place / Opening: Saturday, April 26, 2008, 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. / Regular Hours: Wednesday through Saturday, 1:00 to 6:00 p.m.