The secret hidden in the basement of the International Bazaar is a bit messier than that, though a mite more legitimate, and open to wholesome visitors. A wide stairwell right in the middle of the booths of trinkets and sundry goods leads down into the basement space, where Alejandro Trujillo has set up, of all things, his ArTrujillo Studio Gallery. A visit to ArTrujillo is a kind of subterranean discovery. Wild jazz music plays over a stereo system. Self-possessed people walk about and apply themselves to various tasks.
Footsteps creak across the low ceiling overhead.
He is in his early 30s, has a warm, friendly round face and dark, uncombed hair. He first rented an upstairs studio from the owner of the International Bazaar a few years ago, after he was commissioned to paint a mural on the building's outer wall as part of its reconstruction. Then, last year, Trujillo asked the owner if he could move into the larger basement space, offering to clean up the area in return for its use. The cleanup, begun in May 2000, was completed by June, and by August ArTrujillo had its first opening. Along the concrete floors and cinderblock walls are brightly painted figures, blocks of color, and swirling lines.