Kamini Purushothaman, Contributing Photographer

On Saturday, Sept. 20, guests filled The Table and Gallery, sipping on signature cocktails and tasting hors d’oeuvres while admiring the black-and-white depictions of ancient ruins that surrounded them. 

The opening reception came alive with visuals created by Tian Hsu ’26. Evoking various stages of antiquity, the exhibition included elements of Pompeii and the Agora of Athens, Christian iconography and other classical motifs. 

The works were inspirations spurred from a summer trip to Greece, said Hsu. The exhibition has been up since Sept. 16. 

“I was very taken aback by all the classical architecture — namely the ruins,” said Hsu. “There’s a sort of fascination and perverse pleasure tourists take in ruins, and I was very intrigued about what the role of classical architecture is today.”

Hsu’s art encompasses sculpture, graphic design and videography among other mediums. A mechanical engineering and architecture double major, Hsu infuses her work across the artistic disciplines with pragmatism and exactness. 

Through her study of architecture, Hsu was left wondering about her own standing in the architectural timeline. What resulted was a series of traditional charcoal sketches, contemporary digital renderings and even a projection of classical ruins. 

Taking inspiration from Chinese mountain ink brush paintings, Hsu looked to capture artistic elements such as the foreground, background, shade and value.

In “Veil of Vestiges” — which gave the exhibition its name — Hsu used charcoal to depict the ruins. In the background, the viewer finds hands pulling back a veil to reveal these ancient structures.

Another piece shows Hsu sketching plaster cast recreations of the original Parthenon sculptures — whose real counterparts are now housed in the British Museum. This technique of representation within representation, called mise en abyme, adds another degree of separation — a veil — between the viewer and the sculptures.  

The Table and Gallery is owned and run by Sonal Soveni, who opened it in August 2023. As its name indicates, the space is not only a restaurant, but also functions as a local artspace and cafe. When working with artists, Soveni said that she works with artists to tell a story through food and space. 

Throughout the summer, Soveni communicated with Hsu to bring the story of the ruins to life. As Hsu created pieces, the two considered how best to display them in the gallery space. Most of the pieces hang on the walls of the gallery, but one rests on an easel and another was projected onto the wall during the opening.

“It’s not just showcasing the work, but it’s showcasing what influenced them [the artists], what inspired them, what motivated them,” said Soveni.  “Then we merge that with food, which is a universal love language,” she added, gesturing to a large table in the gallery.

Indeed, Hsu’s opening reception served beverages customized to reflect her artistic vision. The event had two signature drinks, aptly named “Vestige” and “Mirage.”

The former was a gin-based cocktail-mocktail that featured dried fig, honey-ginger, elderflower and tonic. The latter was a spiced apple martini with earl gray. Soveni said she chose the ingredients carefully, noting that “Mirage” is a delicate purple drink incongruous with the sharp kick provided by the ginger.

Hsu added that the drinks’ ingredients reflect elements of both her British nationality and Chinese heritage. In addition to the beverages, Hsu worked with Soveni to design a custom tasting menu based on her background.

“Sunal [Soveni] and I care a lot about the culture and meaning of different places that have shaped us,” said Hsu. So the menu represents the merging of the many different places that we’ve been touched by.”

Going forward, Soveni said she hopes to connect New Haven and Yale talent so that both the space and artists can collaborate to grow and expand their careers.

Irene Kim ’26, one of the exhibition’s attendees and a friend of Hsu, said that her favorite piece was “Internal Conflict,” a print of a sketch Hsu drew on her iPad during a trip from New York to London. 

The work shows a layered cityscape with structures like columns and pediments reminiscent of Greco-Roman architecture. Surrounding this classical scene appears a construction site with a tipper truck holding a Christian cross, alluding to the ever-present potential of losing the ancient in our historical memory.  

“I was just feverishly scribbling away, and it took me the whole flight plus the immigration to finish,” said Hsu. 

She estimated that the intricate piece took 10 hours to create. Beneath it is a caption listing all of the architectural references, from the Parthenon to Big Ben, that inspired her to create reinventions of these ruins.

Kim lauded Hsu’s attention-to-detail, mentioning the artist’s conceptual creativity and technical skill. 

“Tian (Hsu) spends a lot of time thinking about the historical architecture of the place she’s at in any given moment — whether it’s Yale or her hometown,” said Kim. “It was so cool to see snapshots of her [Hsu’s] reflections from her travels come to life through her exhibition.”

Hsu’s exhibition runs through Dec. 16 at The Table & Gallery, which is located at 1209 Chapel St.