Branded Arts to stage festival at Chinese Theatre in Hollywood

Art entrepreneur Warren Brand’s Branded Arts in Culver City has staged about half a dozen large-scale events fusing live music, fashion and street art. He’s also spearheaded about 90 public murals in the Los Angeles area, including Kenny Scharf’s cartoony “Chunk Pack” at La Cienega and Washington boulevards in Culver City and David Flores’ Nelson Mandela tribute mural at Lincoln and Venice boulevards in Venice.

On Saturday, Brand will stage what he called his biggest event yet. Branded Arts will take over the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood for a one-night arts festival.

Brand said he’s “giving young artists the opportunity to get out there and grow their followings, giving galleries the chance to show artists they’re representing and engaging young people from around L.A. that would never otherwise be engaged with the arts.”

The Saturday festival, $20 cover, will have live painting by about 20 artists. A group art installation will be staged on the sidewalk, amid the famous hand prints in front of the theater. Graffiti artists including Mear One, Axis, Vyal, DevNGosha and Luke Chueh will collectively spray paint a 45-foot wall; inside, artists will paint on canvases, beneath spotlights, at the perimeter of the upstairs ballroom.

Hip-hop artist Talib Kweli will headline the musical portion of the night, which also includes Leimert Park’s Slim Jeff and an opening DJ set by Rebel. Dance crew Physical Poets will put on a graffiti-inspired performance midway through the evening.

“It’s about going into an area you’d never see a festival in and staging an art festival there,” Brand said, adding: “There’s something very fun and creative about that. The beauty of art is to inspire people and make them think outside of the box -- and I think that’s very special.”

Twitter: @debvankin