4 solo shows open May 9 at Gallery 825 by Hiro Alexander, Mar Yebra, Elizabeth Gorcey and Phyllis Martinez. All shows will run at Gallery 825 May 9 – June 12, 2026. 

Hiroe Alexander presents her first solo exhibition Primordial Festival, featuring a spatial installation of ceramic sculptures inspired by the ritual and highly spiritual material culture of the Jomon period. Comprising ten works arranged around a central vertical form, the installation guides the viewer through a sequence of architectural, vessel-like, and anthropomorphic elements. Through a restrained palette of white and gold, the work emphasizes material presence and spatial progression.

Becoming presents paintings by Mar Yebra that explore empathy as a way of seeing and relating to others. Created in oil and fabric on canvas, these figurative portraits focus on the human face as a site of encounter. The works acknowledge how visible difference shapes experience—particularly for those whose identities have been historically marginalized—while resisting fixed definitions. Yebra’s practice centers the act of looking as an act of care. Through these portraits, empathy becomes a form of recognition, dissolving distance and affirming a shared sense of presence and dignity. Becoming invites viewers to slow down, to look closely, and to consider how we meet one another beyond surface distinctions.

Elizabeth Gorcey’s oil painting are portraits that capture more than the physical likeness- she reveals the quiet strength, the soul, resilience, vulnerability, and the profound accumulation of experience etched into each face. Gorcey has always been fascinated by the human condition: the way we experience ourselves, each other, and the world around us. Her exhibit Celebration OVERDUE is her response to older people often sidelined- with their presence diminished, their voices softened by society that prioritizes youth and novelty. This exhibition honors not only lives lived long, but lives lived fully. Gorcey intentionally leaves areas unfinished or open, these spaces symbolize possibility- reminding us that becoming does not end with age. Some portraits also challenge conventional representations of the ‘SHOULD’ of aging. Gorcey reminds us that there is always more life to live, more story to unfold. Celebration OVERDUE invites viewers to reflect on the wisdom carried by older generations and to ask a fundamental question: What does it truly mean to live? Gorcey’s paintings hold a space for those whose voices have faded from view. 

Phyllis Martinez new body of work Feed Your Shadow features sculptural “shadow creatures” which serve as emotional and spiritual coin banks, wry repositories for unfunny urges: rage, snark, scheming, egotism. The concept came to Martinez through psychological exploration and the need to protect her private reflections from others -- and to shield family from unfettered thoughts. Our "shadow self" consists of qualities we reject to maintain a desirable persona. We suppress anger to seem easygoing or stifle self-praise to appear modest. However, qualities we reject don’t vanish. They lurk, distorting our lives like dark matter affects galaxies. When repressed, our emotions become feral, reappearing unexpectedly as disproportional fury or sudden contempt, leaving us shaken and determined to exert better control.

Reception: May 9, 2026 10am-5pm
Show Runs: May 9 – June 12, 2026

Location:
Gallery 825
825 N. La Cienega Boulevard, 
Los Angeles CA 90069 

Gallery 825 is open by appointment

About Los Angeles Art Association: (LAAA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide opportunities, resources, services and exhibition venues for emerging Los Angeles artists of all media. LAAA began as a civic art institution in the 1920s, connecting elite art interests to Hollywood collectors, emerging after World War II as the center of Los Angeles modernism and finally becoming the city's nexus for emerging artists of all media. LAAA serves as a dynamic force for contemporary ideas, outreach, and community. Gallery 825 and Los Angeles Art Association are located in the heart of La Cienega Boulevard's Restaurant Row at 825 North La Cienega Bl., Los Angeles, CA 90069. Gallery hours are by appointment. Please call 310.652.8272 or visit www.laaa.org.