Comments (0) The Odd and the Beautiful - 2010
Iko Iko
The only things that set Iko Iko apart from a contemporary art gallery are its lack of pretentiousness, affordable prices and the utilitarian purpose of most stuff on display. Owner Kristin Dickson has scoured the United States and Japan for finely crafted, design-driven curios that range from the bucolic to the bizarre. Piles of hand-dyed Bluefaced Leicester sheep wool — good for weaving — sit next to wooden zigzag sculptures. That’s a joint project by Dickson and her furniture designer boyfriend Shin Okuda, inspired by the Memphis Design movement. Scattered across minimalist-style tables made by Okuda — available for sale — are anything from misshapen, strangely elegant flowerpots to vegetable brushes that resemble potatoes to Hannah Keefe’s chain jewelry, so intricately woven they look like textile. The aim here is to inspire, arouse curiosity and have fun. Who needs a $12 million stuffed shark when you have $12 spud-like scrubs? 1298 Sunset Blvd., Angelino Heights. ikoikospace.blogspot.com. —Noelle Loh
