When entering the downtown Los Angeles studio of artist Gabriela Ruiz, I was struck by a painting of an eye. Not just any eye, but a puffy, surreal orb that turned out to be inspired by a horrific ocular infection, which resulted in an obsession for looking at eyes and how constrained and odd they could be. It’s her gift, thinking beyond, designing an opening and pushing the idea into strange places. She brings these concepts to life through zany Postmodern painting, sculpture, video, installation and performance.