Palettes & Plates: New York Korean Perspective

AHL Foundation is pleased to announce the opening of the exhibition “Palettes & Plates: New York Korean Perspective” featuring Korean adoptee artists, Nancy Pappas and Peter Serpico. Curated by Jiyoung Lee, Director of Programs at AHL Foundation, the exhibition opens with a reception on Saturday, June 15 at 2 pm.

Nancy Pappas and Peter Serpico interpret the theme of “food” to explore how memories, emotions, and life journeys reconstruct personal identities. This exhibition showcases a series of food illustrations of Nancy Pappas that reveal a culinary journey of reconnection and understanding of her Korean-American identity as an adoptee, spanning a Midwest upbringing, a vibrant life in New York City, and moments of self-discovery in Seoul. Other pieces include visual narrations of her time in South Korea reuniting with her birth family and later, living in Korea, connecting with other South Korean adoptees and her motherland culture.

Additionally, chef Peter Serpico will introduce his cookbook “Learning Korean: Recipes for Home Cooking (2022)” and invite audiences to share kimbap, a Korean seaweed rice roll that represents Korean culture while embracing the diversity of New York City at the opening event. He will use fresh ingredients purchased from a local New York farm with the goal of giving his audience a New York Korean perspective.