Esther Kim Varet Gallerist Esther Kim Varet is trading her digs on Abbot Kinney for a new location in a very big way. The art dealer and Ph.D. candidate bought a building on Highland Avenue a year ago and enlisted a rebuild from the firm Johnston Marklee for her gallery, Various Small Fires. No element was left to chance in the 3,000-square-foot space—walls were soundproofed, a light consultant was brought in to maximize sunlight without glare, and a 2,000-square-foot roofless space was constructed to house work by creators such as experimental composer and visual artist Scott Benzel, who’s building a replica of the Capitol Records spire (only inverted and surrounded by a string quartet riffing on the Beach Boys) for the opening on Oct. 9. “That’s what my gallery has come to represent: experimentation and creative possibility,” she says. “Two of the most important starting points for a conversation about art.” Various Small Fires, 812 Highland Ave., L.A.; vsf.la. Varet in front of two works by Amir Nikravan at her new gallery wearing a Salvatore Ferragamo dress, sweater and belt, and Sergio Rossi heels.
HAIR AND MAKEUP: STACEY HUMMELL @RADMAKEUP. GHEBALY: GROOMER TRICIA TURNER USING BUMBLE & BUMBLE
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