Unveil Gallery ripens with anniversary exhibition ‘Photosynthesis’

Upon entering Irvine’s Unveil Gallery, visitors are invited to remove their shoes and step down to the carpeted floor to interact with part of the gallery’s latest exhibition “Photosynthesis.”

Brightly colored ceramic fruit sculptures from artist Alisa Ochoa sit on round pillows like gems in a jewelry store display. The collective work is titled “Fruits of Labor” and within each orange, pomegranate and jackfruit sculpture a collection of ceramic seeds are stored. A gentle shake of the fruit makes them audible.

“The banana sculpture is so realistic but also so fragile at the same time,” said Lorraine Han, director and co-founder of Unveil Gallery, holding up the piece that first attracted her to Ochoa’s work.

It has been one year since Unveil opened on Irvine’s Technology Drive, Han’s answer to a lack of contemporary art galleries in her area. In that time Han and her co-founder, friend and fellow artist Dan Yang have used the space to showcase both local and international artists.

“Photosynthesis” is a two-person exhibition open until Oct. 26, featuring the work of Ochoa, a Thai-Mexican artist and educator currently based in Costa Mesa and Zhen Huang, a Chinese artist based in Shanghai.

The name of the show is derived from the vital biological processes in which plants absorb sunlight and convert it into carbon dioxide and water into oxygen. This alchemy of nature is explored through the two artists’ work.

Balkan-American movement practitioner mia simonović and dancer Taylor Grandy interact with “Fruits of Labor” at Irvine’s Unveil Gallery.

(Courtesy of Vanessa Reyes and Unveil Galley)

The opening reception for the show featured a dance performance from a Balkan-American movement practitioner who goes by the professional name mia simonović and dancer Taylor Grandy, who interacted with the delicate fruit much the way others are encouraged to when they experience the exhibition.

The themes of care and compassion were made more evident as simonović and Grandy picked up each fruit and cradled it. Ochoa was inspired to created the hyper-realistic fruit rattles during the pandemic when her son suggested they make a banana out of clay. The resulting sculpture is also exploration of growth and birth, a seed growing into fruit and making more seeds that in turn produce more fruit. The theme is highlighted with a framed photograph of Ochoa’s mother pregnant with her and holding a large watermelon not unlike the one that sits on its own pillow in the exhibition.

Han said her placement of the ceramic fruit on the floor was a deliberate one.

“I didn’t want these on a pedestal or in a transparent box,” said Han. “This is a grounded way of showcasing this work.”

In his paintings Huang also use a a unique vantage to look closely at the details of plant life, from the point of view of a tiny creature within them.

“Huang’s work offers a micro perspective,” Han said. “It almost feels like you are looking at the flowers or plants from an insect’s view.”

There are branches or sometimes even hands that are just beyond the frame in his work, mostly obstructed from view by leaves and petals. For Huang, the body of work is about personal evolution and the dynamics with his family. As young children, we are nurtured to grow but when the nurturing is done successfully our branches can stretch so far beyond where we are planted.

“Survival Game” and “Departure” by Zhen Huang; “Fruits of Labor” and “Happy Birthday” by Alisa Ochoa are seen on display at Unveil Gallery.

(Courtesy of Gasia Karakesis and Unveil Galley)

His paintings are not just an exercise in perspective but also in light. A warm glow radiates through petals so thin they are nearly transparent in works like “Song of the Wind, 2023” and the vibrantly red three-paneled “Survival Game I, II & III.” In “Greenhouse Harvest, 2024” a collection of yellow tulips bloom under a harsh greenhouse lamp.

In a way, the exhibition is an example of how Unveil itself has grown, matured and ripened in the past year. About 100 people turned out for the inaugural exhibition at the gallery; the opening reception for “Photosynthesis” drew even more.

“Our gallery space was flooded with supporters coming to see the show and see the performance,” Han said of the event.

“Photosynthesis” is on view at Unveil Gallery at 200 Technology Drive, Suite F, Irvine until Oct. 26. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m to 4 p.m. and Sunday by appointment only.