This past week, Los Angeles-based artist and curator Giovanni Duca opened his new project space, Pinãta, in Echo Park (Los Angeles) with a collaborative exhibition with Hassla Books‘ David Schoerner. In the wake of Pinãta x Hassla’s fantastic opening, I had the pleasure of speaking with Duca and Schoerner about the mission of the space and future curatorial ventures against the backdrop of ever-evolving Los Angeles.

Holly Stanton: Congratulations on the opening of your space Pinãta in Los Angeles! Giovanni, what first inspired you to open an art space?
Giovanni Duca: Thanks very much , Holly.  I opened Pinãta because I wanted a starting point-a room with an address- where I could collaborate, one on one, with people -artists, designers, anyone who’s work and ideas inspire me and present that in a space.  The idea is to have Piñata change with every collaboration.  It could be a bookshop and gallery one month and woodshop the next.

HS: What is your mission as a curator?
GD: I suppose it’s not to specifically have one. Other than to continue to work with great people, such as Hassla, to make Piñata an ever changing place to see something forward thinking and interesting.

HS: Your first exhibition with Hassla’s David Schoerner seems to embody a collaborative spirit. What role will collaboration play in the future exhibitions of Piñata?
GD: Yes, collaboration is key to this exhibition and will continue to be the way Piñata operates: I’m interested in what someone is making, they like the space and what I’m doing with it and we work to bring the two together. Having someone like David come in for the first installation was good because not only is he a long time friend, but Hassla makes beautiful books and has a solid following. I’m really pleased with the way it has turned out.

HS: Is the Los Angeles landscape, in terms of both art and geography, more conducive to alternative art and project spaces than the other cities where you have lived, such as New York?
GD: Yes,  LA itself inspired the space as much as anything else because I realized that here, something like this was actually possible. I am trying doing this with no money on a month to month basis.  It’s a crazy plan, but one that I would not have even considered in other cities I’ve lived and worked such as New York or Paris. The rent alone would have killed it on the spot.  For me, it is also special because I was born and raised in California. No matter how involved I was with something in other places I always felt like an outsider. I feel at home here.

HS: LA has definitely seen an influx of new, somewhat DIY alternative art spaces over the last year, for example Davida Nemeroff’s Night Gallery and Conor Thompson and Cally Robertson’s Early Riser space. How do you see Piñata fitting into or responding to this notion of creating venues for work to be shown outside of the traditional gallery paradigm?
GD: LA has a rich DIY history that, I’m happy to say, is still part of its creative landscape.  It’s wonderful what people will aspire to create when they have the the freedom, space, and minimal financial burden.  It’s is a great city with people doing very interesting things that just happens, for one reason or another, to be affordable.  That may change, but for now it’s an exciting place to live and start something like Piñata.

HS: David, you have experience exhibiting your own work worldwide. How did you find the experience of crafting a group exhibition that blended Hassla published works and works by the artists?
David Schoerner: It has been a great experience and something I’ve been wanting to do with Hassla for some time so I’m very excited to see it come together. I approached all the artists in a very similar fashion to how I approach an artist to do a book – giving them the freedom to choose the work. I wanted to incorporate LA artists that I hadn’t worked with before alongside some Hassla artists since this was a new space opening in LA. I knew the kind of work everyone was making but was unsure what I’d actually get until the night before the opening so it was a bit of a surprise when installing. In the end though it all came together and looks great. So, I’m happy.

Piñata x Hassla is open through September 20th. Be sure to catch a special performance by ‘Stephen/Steven’ (Brendan Fowler’s solo musical project) on September 18th.
PINATA is located at 1461 W. SUNSET BLVD, Los Angeles, CA 90026