Onishi Gallery is thrilled to present Transcendence, a group show of commercially-trained photographers and artists whose work rises beyond the bounds of their professional training. A delicate hand veiled in shadows rests on a table, mirrored reflections dance in water, sleek geometric designs fool the eye, and coupled figures are frozen in shimmering dress and evocative poses—these images are carefully executed, balancing in the space between fantastical and actual. Exhibiting the artwork of these four artists in the fine art venue, Onishi Gallery is creating a space for conversation between art and commerce, pleasure and production. Polished images that stun the eye with sharp precision and creative calculation, these photographs probe the depths of visual possibility.

Takahiro Igarashi, Julia Comita and Mary Lee (Comita + Lee), and Manuel Morquecho are the star artists of this show. Born in Japan, Takahiro Igarashi is a still life photographer now based in New York City. While assisting top commercial and fine art still life photographers for six years working with publications including commercial work for various brands in cosmetics, jewelry and technology such as Condé Nast, Dyson and RMS Cosmetics, Takahiro developed his own vision, one that focuses on power and elegance through minimalism. He believes strongly in the power of simplicity, and communicates his core qualities through this power—timelessness, heritage, craftsmanship, and design. Sophistication, he believes, is the core structure behind simplicity. Takahiro's deep passion for the photographic process, from conceptualization through final image, has earned him several prestigious awards, including the International Photography Award and Graphis. In this exhibition, Takahiro's work alludes to the idea of literally transcending from darkness into light, and figuratively from ignorance into knowing. His series "Illuminate" reflects upon times of uncertainty, and the search for answers that define our existence. His use of the square shape symbolizes what he sees as the foundation of life: honesty and stability.

Comita + Lee is the paired name of two artists, Julia Comita and Mary Lee. Julia, who has worked with brands such as Bobbi Brown, Uniqlo and Covergirl, and Mary met while living in New York City and now work collaboratively, creating a hybrid form of photography based on their individual talents of photographer and art director. They share a vision for how escapism can be a unique method of storytelling, and do so by showcasing extreme beauty in provocative settings in their imagery. The duo has created multiple series that have been shown at Art Basel, museums, and galleries. In this exhibition, Julia and Mary's series, "UnEarthed," is a set of images that explores the potential of human connection. Across four images, a story is told of two beings whose love for one another transcends beyond earth and into another dimension, into another realm of possibility through unity. Julia and Mary employ the use of light, color, and character styling to express the nobility and spirituality of the couple.

Manuel Morquecho was born in Mexico and currently lives in Washington, D.C. Manuel made the jump to digital photography in 2009. His main body of work explores the urban landscape, the integration of the face and body into fine art, and fashion photography. Manuel joined the IMF-World Bank International Photographic Society (IPS) in 2013 and was Rookie of the Year in the 2013-2014 season, and Photographer of the Year in 2015-2016. For this exhibition, Manuel states, "I believe we, artists, often doubt that we will ever transcend the fears that limit our creation. However, we are lucky because it is our creation that allows us to unburden ourselves of a reality impossible to change and encourages us to fearlessly share our feelings, communicate through our art, particularly at a time when our souls cannot find answers or we cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. The four images that I am presenting (Ocean, My Shadow, Peace and Two Faces) attempt to go beyond my fears. The water images portray hope and a distant fear, the light that guides us in our life journey even though our reflection on the water confuses reality. It is in this confusion that we often present ourselves with two faces, afraid of showing who we really are but at the end, we always find "peace." In addition, these images are all in black and white to strip them of the distractions of color and create timeless portrayals because deep inside we want to live forever."