OCHI Gallery presents two new exhibitions “Por Debajo,” a solo exhibition of new works by Los Angeles-based artist Ozzie Juarez, and “More Permanent than Show” by Sam Shoemaker. An artist reception was held on Saturday, July 16, 2022, but the show exhibition will remain on view through August 27, 2022.

From L-R: Ozzie Juarez painting a mural on the façade of OCHI Aux (2022); Sam Shoemaker, Tony Hawk Pro Skater, 2022; Ceramic, Ganoderma lingzhi (reishi mushroom), supplemented sawdust; 17 x 11 x 14 1/2 inches; Photo by Ian Byers-Gamber; Images courtesy of the artists and OCHI.

Blending generational histories, ancient folklore, unsanctioned public art, and pop culture, Ozzie Juarez uses visual language and cultural signifiers to examine notions of place and complex personal concepts of self. Repurposing discarded objects found in South Central, Mid City, Boyle Heights, and adjacent neighborhoods of Los Angeles, “Por Debajo” features painted camper shells, store front awnings, and construction materials, recontextualized as Juarez honors the life and legacy of the secultural artifacts. Juarez’s fluorescent Mexica codex patterns spread across the façade of the gallery, activating the building as a spiritual space and celebrating a life long commitment to street art—a passion taken on in his youth to satisfy an urge for large-scale self-expression.

Sam Shoemaker (b. 1991, Orlando, FL) is an interdisciplinary artist and mycologist making work inspired by ecosystems, radical pedagogy, and architectural and environmental psychology—often through facilitating ongoing collaborations with rare, native, and medicinal fungi.Drawn to responsive and relational objects that behave, react, change, grow, and carry rhythm, Shoemaker collects and propagates mushrooms, manipulating them in a highly controlled environment of his design.

On view: July 16, 2022 – August 27, 2022

What New Exhibitions
Where: OCHI Gallery, 3305 W Washington Blvd, LA, 90018
Website: https://www.ochigallery.com