Compound Long Beach is continuing to morph into one of the city’s most thoughtful and stimulating third spaces — a place to break bread, get work done and explore art that urges reflection.
Its newest exhibition, “Puerperal” by Los Angeles-based artist Fay Ray, offers a meditative journey through themes of motherhood, transformation, and physical memory. Ray's works can be found spread throughout Compound's property.
Meanwhile, within the same campus, Union has debuted a fresh, seasonal lunch menu designed to nourish and ground visitors as they explore Ray's exhibit.
“Puerperal” takes its name from a Latin medical term describing the postpartum period that occurs after birth — a liminal phase that’s often invisible in the public eye yet deeply formative. Ray brings that often-hidden experience into full view through a series of mediums. In Compound's LAB and Warehouse her steel and metal pieces curve and dangle overhead, embodying both weight and weightlessness. These forms call to mind bodily cycles — of growth, collapse, healing — and create an immersive environment that viewers must navigate bodily, not just intellectually.
Beside the cafe, visitors will find a new series of small ceramic depictions of mothers and children — tender figures created from LiDAR and merged together.
The figures are "reminiscent of the pietà — the iconic image of the Virgin Mary cradling the body of her child," the gallery wall reads.
Ray doesn’t aim to offer tidy conclusions but instead prompts questions about care, labor and identity. The materials are industrial, even heavy, yet they’re arranged in compositions that feel intuitive and intimate.
“Through her work, Ray asks that everyone consider the possibilities of a postpartum aesthetic, and reflect broadly on the material manifestation of periods of change and transition in an evolving life,” according to Compound.
Just steps from the gallery floor, Compound’s open-concept café and garden courtyard offer a warm invitation to stay awhile.
A new lunch menu reflects the expanding identity of the campus as a third space — welcoming not only art fans but also remote workers and students. Guests are encouraged to grab a bite, bring a book or laptop, and spend a slow afternoon writing, reading, or working between strolls through the gallery.
The Grilled Cheese, golden and melty with a satisfying depth and crunch, offers a nostalgic indulgence. The protein rich Chicken Salad Sandwich plays well with the Kale Chop salad — a hearty blend of leafy greens, seeds and seasonal crunch. The Crispy Rice Salad adds texture and brightness, with herbs and citrus dressing waking up each taste bud.
Whether paired with a natural wine, or just a quiet hour of screen-free time, an afternoon at Compound feels like part of the exhibition itself — another way to absorb maternal wisdom and comfort.
Open Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., the Zaferia District’s Compound is the place to bring your book, your work or your mother this month. “Puerperal” and the new café menu offer the perfect reason to linger.
The exhibition runs through Aug. 31.