Artwork lines the aisles of the former 99 Cents Only location for The Hole exhibition. (photo by Rance Collins)

The former 99 Cents Only store on Wilshire Boulevard near Fairfax Avenue has come alive again – at least as long as Frieze LA is in town. A pop-up art gallery sponsored by The Hole is operating inside the shuttered store until March 1 from 11 a.m-6 p.m. daily. The Hole is a contemporary art gallery with locations in New York and Los Angeles, including at 844 N. La Brea Ave. This location, too, is open from 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday.

For the exhibit, the aisles of the former 99 Cents Only story have been taken over for “99CENT,” which includes works by a variety of West Coast artists, while the walls are covered with the work of Barry McGee. According to a biography on the art21 website, McGee is a San Francisco Art Institute graduate who has drawn inspiration from his Bay Area upbringing, as well as Mexican muralists, cartoons and geometric abstraction. The celebrated artist has listings with the Museum of Modern Art, among other prestigious galleries.

“Through his drawings, paintings and mixed-media installations, the artist creates a visual lexicon that addresses the struggles of contemporary urban life, looking toward his local community while building a world of his own characters, monikers, and motifs,” his bio reads.

The layout of the store resembles a flea market, and many of the pieces lining the aisles are available for purchase. Among the prominent local artists is Gary Baseman, the celebrated cartoonist and illustrator of “Teacher’s Pet” and the board game Cranium, who posted of his excitement to join the “madhouse” show.

“This special building at 6121 Wilshire Blvd. has been a fixture in the local community for almost forty years … recently shuttered and awaiting future activation,” Baseman’s post read. “One block from LACMA, come discover an artist-driven installation that celebrates the outsider and the overlooked, focusing on the human side of the creative process over the commercial.”

For information, visit thehole .com