The idea of Pharmaka began as a conversation in 2003 between Los Angeles art dealer Adam Gross, artists John Scane and Shane Guffogg. They met for dinner to talk about the art world and some exhibitions they had seen. Some important topics were touched upon so they agreed to meet the following week to continue the conversation and invite artist Vonn Sumner to join in.

Even though these three artists painted in different styles, it became apparent that there was a common thread they all shared; their love of painting and belief that painting was still a relevant and viable art form. These weekly meetings led to other artists joining in and expanded to studio visits and critiques, which led to the writing of what became a Manifesto. With Manifesto in hand, a name was decided on for this group; Pharmaka. This Ancient Greek word means to paint or an artist colors, it also means a poison or remedy. It was chosen because it harked back to the beginning of Western civilization and we felt an urgency to take the notion of art making and the practice of painting back to a starting point.

A few months later the number of Pharmaka grew to seven artists and 2 art dealers, and it was decided that these weekly discussion should be taken to a public forum so three shows were simultaneously mounted in Los Angeles in January of 2004. The Corridor Gallery in Hollywood housed the small paintings and works on paper, the Bedlam Gallery in Los Feliz exhibited the medium size paintings and the 24,000 square foot Bedlam Warehouse in downtown Los Angeles housed 160 paintings. The opening reception drew an estimated 1500 viewers from many corners of the L.A. art world. The public responded with overwhelming enthusiasm and it was clear that Pharmaka had exposed a vital artery in our culture. As a result of this show of energy and vision, the artists of Pharmaka were offered a gallery space in the newly designated Gallery Row neighborhood of historic downtown Los Angeles.

By the fall of 2004, Pharmaka grew to 14 artists, 2 art dealers, a writer and an architect. The current members are: Mark Acetelli, Randall Cabe, Christopher Cousins, Stanley Dorfman, Stephen Fife, Bert Green, Adam Gross, Shane Guffogg, Laura Hipke, Doro Hofmann, Patricia Howard, Tim Isham, Christoph Kapeller, Christopher Monger, Michael Rosenfeld, Luke Rothschild, John Scane, & Vonn Sumner, Zelman.

After much consideration, it was decided that Pharmaka Gallery, now known as Pharmaka, would be the home not only for the group to continue their weekly discussions, but also a venue to mount shows that explore the pluralistic nature of contemporary painting through curated shows.

The gallery was designed by award-winning architect Christoph Kapeller and built by the members of Pharmaka .The doors opened in January, 2005.

Pharmaka has been incorporated as a non-profit, and mounts exhibitions that might otherwise fall into the void between commercial Galleries and Museums with an on-going lecture series for each exhibition.