By Skylar Stock
A parent’s role after childbirth is rarely one size fits all.
To visualize this multifaceted postpartum period, 45-year-old artist and sculptor Fay Ray created “Puerperal,” unveiled during an opening reception brunch at Compound in Long Beach on Feb. 15.
In partnership with the nonprofit arts and wellness center in Long Beach, the exhibition seeks to display the taboo parts of the human psyche after childbirth.
“We don’t normalize all of the pain, stress, anxiety, depressive and hurtful moments of childbirth; we shove all that under a rug,” Ray said. “It can trigger shame in women that share that as part of their birthing experience with others.”
According to Arts Program Manager Angelica de Jesus, 30, Compound aims to foster the intersection of art, food and wellness taking shape through workshops, markets and free events at the complex to maintain a sense of community in Long Beach.
Talk of the exhibition started six months ago when Ray and Compound founder Megan Tagliaferri wanted to explore the concept of divine femininity, de Jesus said.
According to Ray, “Puerperal” represents the transition period when welcoming a new life into the world.
The show acknowledges that having children can be difficult and how important it is to explore that sense in a judgment-free zone.
The opening reception displayed multiple mediums representing the “fourth trimester,” which comes after childbirth.
Geometric aluminum sculptures, a collage mural and ceramic art representing femininity showed off the sculptor’s efforts.
Monochromatic sculptures hang at the Compound gallery and encapsulate the art medium Fay Ray is most known for. Photo Credit: Skylar Stock
Lisa Lowe, 61, owner of Oré Originals down the street at 1357 Coronado Ave., said she frequently visits the Compound’s “third space.”
As a mother, she was curious about how postpartum challenges would be expressed.
“Childbirth changes you as a person, and I’ve never seen it personified in art quite like this,” Lowe said about the exhibition.
She cites a certain “beauty” from giving birth, and that Ray’s artwork represents the raw strength that parenthood takes.
Ray said she struggled with postpartum depression after the birth of all three of her children. With the anxiety from her experiences, Ray turned to her craft to share her challenges with the community.
“I just didn’t see the maternal experience reflected in the contemporary art world, and I couldn’t make anything but work that reflected that part: that new part of me,” Ray said.
After following Ray’s work for over 10 years, Michelle McCormick, 48, attended the exhibition in support.
Fay Ray’s ceramic pieces focus on parental roles and were created using LiDAR 3D scans of mothers with their children. Photo Credit: Skylar Stock
“I was surprised by how much I responded to those even though I am a mother and a parent,” McCormick said. “She’s somehow managed to make that moment and that story seem really interesting beyond just motherhood.”
McCormick said she was impressed with Ray’s ability to integrate her art into the Compound space. The 14,000-square-foot building allowed the artists to showcase various art mediums.
“It offers a great perspective on abstraction from the female perspective. You know, it’s typically a male-dominated space,” de Jesus said.
Ray credits Compound and Tagliaferri for allowing her to achieve her artistic dreams of reaching the community through her art.
“If you’re lucky in your career, you get to fulfill some of those fantasies, some of those dreams for yourself through making your work over time,” Ray said. “And in this one show, I get to have all of that. … I get to fulfill all of those dreams.”
“Puerperal” by Fay Ray will be displayed at Compound in Long Beach until Aug. 31, 2025.
More of Ray’s artwork can be found on her website.
Editor’s Note: Fixed spacing within body text on Feb. 19, at 11:14 a.m.
