High rent plus large inventories of established names means there's little room for developing artists to show their works on the Westside. It's also why Jaus, a private gallery open by appointment, is the best secret gallery in the community. Housed in one of three buildings in a complex brilliantly designed by architect Ken Tanaka, the space is the brainchild of teacher-curator-artist Ichiro Irie, who presents artists without gallery representation. His compelling selections — such as Susanne Melanie Berry's harrowing sculpture of a junkie's arm plunged with a hundred syringes, and Marissa Magdalena's ready-to-wear Elizabethan gown perfectly constructed from brown paper bags salaciously trimmed with extralong fireplace matches — create a spark. Irie has a few misses — reprieves from the pabulum hotel art Bergamot Station dealers must sometimes show to make rent. While often culled from the works of former students, Irie's openings are beginning to draw collectors such as Greg Escalante, the co-founder of Juxtapoz magazine, and critics like the savvy Peter Frank. 11851 La Grange Ave., W.L.A. (424) 248-0781, info@jausart.com.

—Tibby Rothman