Paris Koh Fine Arts (201 Bridge Plaza North, Fort Lee, NJ) is proud to present a group exhibition Homophone: Pam Cooper, Sophia Chizuco, Kyung Han Kim, Gianluca Bianchino, Minah Park, Jin Mateo Kim, curated by 3 women curators: Jeanne Brasile, Paris Suechung Koh, and Sooa Lim. This exhibition will run Sept. 4-30, 2024, with an opening reception on Wednesday, Sep 4th from 6-8 pm.

The exhibition features three women curators, each selecting a homophonic word – a word that sounds the same but has different meanings. The selected words span English, Korean, and Chinese, offering a diverse linguistic perspective. Each curator's chosen word serves as the basis for two artists to create works that explore the contrasting meanings of the word. The exhibition visually expresses the dual meanings of these homophones, highlighting the complex layers of language through artistic interpretation.

Curator Jeanne Brasile: Peace and Piece

Sophia Chizuco (Peace) and Gianluca Bianchino (Piece)

Both Sophia Chizuco (peace) and Gianluca Bianchino (piece) were participants in New York Foundation for the Arts’ Immigrant Artist Program. Both artists are graduates, and later became mentors, of this program. Their colorful abstract paintings are complementary yet provide contrasts with Chizuco’s organic shapes and Bianchino’s hard-edged geometric approach.

Gianluca Bianchino’s work comprises literal and depicted bits of wood and other detritus that relate to his interest in science, technology, and exploration. These surrealistic paintings also draw on his childhood experience of relocating unexpectedly to America after an earthquake razed his village in Italy. The multiplanar and indeterminate spaces are disorienting – a fusion of architecture and nature that evokes plate tectonics while metaphorically addressing the lives that were fractured by the force of the earthquake.

Sophia Chizuco’s abstract paintings consist of densely packed circles drawing inspiration from the Zen concept of Enso. For her, this circle symbolizes life, the sun, light, spirit, peace, infinity, interminability, perfection, and continuance. Each stroke within the circle tells a story, reflecting the interconnectedness of her experiences and the enduring influence of her roots in the Japanese countryside.