This year 1.2 million girls and boys were victims of child trafficking. That means they were taken from their families and sold into slavery, endured beatings, malnutrition and other abuse. And the rocketing demand for cheap labor and child prostitution means that more children will be trafficked in 2010 if we don’t make protecting them a global priority.

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EM: What made you guys both decide to photograph and document the graffiti scene? What in particular  interested you about it?

We started photographing graffiti in the 90′s because in east village there was a lot of graffiti. My husband ran into friend from graffiti and he asked if he could photograph some of his artwork which happened to be by the track side. This beautiful graffiti made us want to track out more,it became an addiction. Last free forms of art, they needed photographers to document their work. →

Where Skatewear and  Streetwear Converge
Hyatt Hotel- Huntington Beach, CA
01/08/09

The Agenda Trade Show is a forum for the most inspired in the streetwear and action sports industries to unite. Lines speak for themselves and buyers are not intimidated by the usual overwhelming tradeshow experience. From the garage-run lines on the verge of explosion, to the well-established elite, Agenda caters to the needs of buyers and brands that exist on a higher level of design and aesthetic. With a strong emphasis in style, art, music and culture, the Agenda experience is as much a lesson as it is a tool. →

Taking after fine-line tattoo artists like Mister Cartoon, 20-year-old Jun Cha has been turning heads in the street and skate wear communities with his signature photorealistic style done in black and grey. Cha works on canvas and designs apparel in addition to his tattoo work. He’s done collaborations with LA-based streetwear brand the Hundreds and is set to tour Belgium this month. In this eight-minute video, the precocious young artist talks about his lifelong interest in art, his current success as a designer and his prospects for the future. At his age, he’s already been mentored by Jose Lopez, BabyRay, Brian Everett and Mister Cartoon. With a strong cast of mentors and a talented hand, Cha is set to lead the next generation of artists. →

The allure of women’s perfume is ultimately not in the design of the bottle. The packaging certainly has a say in whether the product is desirable, but the intangible qualities of cosmetic scents–their calling forth of memory and appeals to fantasy–strike the passersby more powerfully (or aversely) than any physical representation can accomplish. Still-life photographer Joshua Scott and Yee Wong of 52kilo design collaborated to capture the imperceivable and abstracted qualities of the Marc Jacobs Lola perfume. Their images won first place at the 2009 APA Awards. →

Mark Tribe: Sweet Child Solos
LACE – Los Angeles, CA
1/19/09

LACE is pleased to present Sweet Child Solos, a denouement for Mark Tribe: Port Huron Project currently on view at LACE. This one-night performance will feature several guitarists playing instrumental covers of “Sweet Child o’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses. Tribe will present two realities within the exhibition space– an iconic scene of musicians celebrating American identity with a notorious rock anthem, juxtaposed with stills of war scenes in Afghanistan. He will then composite these two images and debut a new work at LACE on January 20. →

Photo Credit: Peter Yang

Inspired by the Minutemen song, Evil Monito’s “Tour Spiel” highlights the musician’s life on the road. Each week, we’ll check in with some of our favorite artists touring stateside or abroad. We’ll provide an intimate look into what it’s like to be packed in a van or waiting for a flight with the same people for hours on end. It takes a certain state of mind to survive any lengthy tour. Yet it’s the memorable experiences that make life on the road ultimately rewarding, if not interesting. This week we heard from keyboardist Jesse Johnson of Motion City Soundtrack, who have been hard at work on their new record, My Dinosaur Life. →

Bring in the New Year with LA’s Reggae Soul Revivalists
Commonwealth Lounge – Fullerton, CA
1/7/10

With bold aspirations of bringing dusty reggae soul back to the LA music scene, the Lions (Ubiquity Records) have successfully championed a sound that is as much their own as it is a nod to the past.  Receiving critical acclaim for their cool aesthetic, tight musicianship and crackling funk; they’ve earned a coveted place in the underground scene. →

Edan Premieres Echo Party, his visual, musical mashup!
The Cinefamily Theater – Los Angeles, CA
1/16/10

To celebrate the release of his latest album, “Echo Party”, the MC/DJ known as Edan — one of the masters of elevating the genre of hip-hop into sonic art — will appear in-person for an epic DJ set, as well as to present the L.A. premiere of the film Echo Party, the half-hour found footage mashup companion piece to the album (directed by Cinefamily’s own Mondo maharajah Tom Fitzgerald!) →

Mararian’s Solo Exhibition
Corey Helford Gallery – Culver City, CA
1/16/10

Corey Helford Gallery launches into 2010 with “Youth Parade”, the highly-anticipated new body of work by New York-based artist Michael Mararian. Returning to the gallery for his second solo exhibition, Mararian will unveil one of the gallery’s most significant exhibitions to date. “Youth Parade” challenges audiences, in both concept and context, with its controversial imagery and dark subject matter. →