Roq La Rue remains our favorite local gallery, still going strong after 10 years in business. They were closed all last month after their anniversary show, undergoing some remodeling and giving owner Kirsten Anderson time to relax (and travel to Amsterdam). Tomorrow, though, the gallery reopens with a new show: the return of Roq regular Brian Despain and the debut of Victor Castillo. In honor of the occasion, we interviewed her (again) about lessons learned and what's new.

You had no experience running a gallery when you opened Roq La Rue, but 10 years later you're obviously successful. What have you learned since you started?
Wow, quite a lot. I have learned infinite amounts about crazy dynamics within the art world (and by that I am referring to the business aspect, not the art making aspect-although, that too...). The art world is mired in ridiculous drama, and I half hate that aspect and half love it.

I also learned, and forgive me if I sound totally corny, but if you do what you love and are passionate about, the money will come. That's the thing I really try to impart to people who are nervous about launching a new venture. If I can do it, anyone can. You just have to work hard and be persistent, and be fair in business practices. Running a business, any business, is very stressful, and especially so if it's something like selling art (which is a non-essential and subject to public whims). I really am trying to learn to settle down and not stress myself out so much.

How as the lowbrow and pop surrealism scene changed since you opened, and how has the gallery responded to that?

Well—the scene was much smaller and close-knit then. Since it has exploded, there has been a morphing of what that kind of art was into what it is now. Frankly now it is much softer, less "punk rock"—and I'm not saying that's bad necessarily. Artists are now all about getting into bigger galleries and museums, and some of them are successful (good examples are Mark Ryden's "Wondertoonel" exhibit at the Frye and the Pasadena Art Museum, as well as the amazing "Retinal Delights: The Juxtapoz School" museum exhibit currently at the Laguna Art Museum.) There are multiple galleries in New York now, and tons all over the country and several in Europe. It's become very competitive, and lots of people are jumping on board to make a buck or to try to become a big name in the scene. The problem with some of these younger galleries is that they have more enthusiasm than taste, and seemingly no understanding of art history nor this scene's history. So that means some kinda dodgy stuff is being marked as "Pop Surrealism" and people who are just learning about it might be exposed to some less than stellar work and think that is all this scene has to offer. That's my own particular rant.

As far as the gallery's response...we are just trying to tighten everything up and make sure our quality is high. My own interests have moved on a bit from the Lowbrow realm, and while I still have a special place in my heart for the original Lowbrow scene and stand behind it as an art movement, I find I am compelled these days by more enigmatic, painterly works. I think some of this scene could be looked at as a continuation of 19th century Symbolism, and that's the kind of thing I like and want to move towards. Most people probably won't notice, it will still be the usual technical craftsmanship and bizarre imagery I'm known for showing.

The Roq was closed for a month for some renovations. What can we expect at the reopening?
I basically just painted everything white to make it more formal, cleaned up the walls and my desk, and I bought a bunch of chandeliers to class up the joint. I do love a good chandelier. It adds a nice ostentatious touch.

You're featuring two solo shows at the reopening, Brian Despain and Victor Castillo. How did you decide on those two artists?
Brian Despain is represented by Roq La Rue and is getting to be pretty popular. He works at a slow pace but I wanted to keep him in public view before his next big show that isn't until November 09. I knew he'd deliver a solid mini show of work. Victor Castillo is someone I ran across online and I was completely captivated by his work, even though I found it disturbing. Both artists deal with the "truth behind the veneer," so to speak. Or at least, their interpretation of the truth.

Despain's been featured in a number of shows at the Roq. What brings you back to his work?
I rep him, but do so because I think he's a great painter. His robot series features his most popular paintings—but what sets him apart from most of that kind of cartoony robot art that is so popular now is that the paintings have a real depth to them, beyond the initial humor. There is also great melancholy there and I find them to be an interesting comment on our times. Plus he paints them so well. He is an avid student of art history and theory and is always pushing himself to create stronger work. I like that there is clearly an emotional investment and mystery in each painting.

Castillo, on the other hand, is a new discovery. How did you come across his work, and what compelled you to offer him a show?

Victor is from Chile and is currently based in Barcelona. I actually can't remember where I saw his work at first, it was online somewhere, and I contacted his gallery in Barcelona.

His work is grotesque and brutal, but also funny, in a totally horrible way. They are very acute jabs at the culture of unfettered capitalism, religious imperialism and colonialism. He is very critical of current US culture while still being ensnared by its charms and promises. I think that many of us in the US can understand that, you don't have to be an outsider to resonate (positively or negatively) with what he is saying. He's a very vital artist, and I think his work is pretty amazing. He shows worldwide but this is his first US show, which I'm pretty proud of.

You're not just reopening the gallery on Friday—you're relaunching your website as well. Can we expect big changes there?
Yes! The entire site is brand new, with a whole new cohesive look. I think it will be way easier for people to navigate the site and find the things they want. It's much cleaner and streamlined—which is basically my aesthetic for the gallery these days. I'm really excited about it actually!

Do you expect Roq La Rue to be celebrating 20 years in 2018? And do you have any predictions about where the scene will be by then?
Hmmm. I honestly have no idea. I definitely think it could be open in another 10 years—but I'm not sure what I'll feel like doing then.

As far as the scene, I really can't say. I certainly don't think it will just "go away" or implode on itself, I think rather it will either keep going on its own little particular strata of the art world, or will just further enmesh itself within general "contemporary art." My hope is that some crazy new art movement will be starting up and make us all look like conservative old fogies!

"Roq La Rue opening" was taken by...us! Last November, to be exact.