PLATO
CURRENT EXHIBITION
Blood as Thick as Water
group exhibition
February 13 – March 22, 2025
Participating artists: Andrius Alvarez-Backus, Sebastian Ore Blas, Adam de Boer, Peter Hong Tsun Chan, Henry Hung Chang, Sylvia Trotter Ewens, Christina Lucia Giuffrida, Yifan Jiang, Darina Karpov, Kwesi O. Kwarteng, Azadeh Nia, Shuto Okayasu, Benny Or, Diana Sinclair, Tang Shuo, Felandus Thames, Shingo Yamazaki.
Living in the US, the UK or Canada, artists in Blood as Thick as Water evoke their connection to the land of their ancestors located elsewhere. The term "diaspora" comes from the Greek speiro, which means "I scatter." When leaves or ashes are scattered, they decompose and nourish the earth, producing new growth. Although with time the bloodlines can get diluted or forgotten, genetic and cultural memory — or a residue of it — still remains. Blood as Thick as Water features artists with roots in Africa, Australia, Eurasia, Latin America and the Caribbean who connect with their heritage, washing away residual traumas or soothing them by acknowledging, understanding or reimagining real and contested histories.

Felandus Thames
King David of the People's Republic of Harlem, 2024
beads on coated wire
84.75 x 48 x 4 in.

Kwesi O. Kwarteng
New Bonds, 2024
dyed canvas, culturally significant fabrics
68 x 56 in.

Shuto Okayasu
The Light of Probability, 2024
acrylic on canvas
60 x 46 in.

Diana Sinclair
Weeping Angel (De/Recomposition Series, 5), 2025
multimedia cyanotype on cloth stretched over canvas
46 x 46 in.

Diana Sinclair
Return to the Womb (De/Recomposition Series, 1), 2025
multimedia cyanotype on cloth stretched over canvas
46 x 46 in.

Diana Sinclair
Do Not Weep for Me, I Jumped (De/Recomposition Series, 2), 2025
multimedia cyanotype on cloth stretched over canvas
46 x 46 in.

Adam de Boer
Echo Park Lake, 2024
batik and oil on linen
35.5 x 51 in.

Sebastian Ore Blas
Three Legged Table, 2025
oil on canvas
64 x 42 in.

Darina Karpov
Relay, 2024
oil on linen
32 x 48 in.

Tang Shuo
The Distance, 2024
oil on linen
43.3 x 35.4 in.

Andrius Alvarez-Backus
This is How You Hold Me, 2024
assorted textiles, reclaimed iron window bars, silicone, chalk pastel, tempera
68 x 48 x 4 in.

Kwesi O. Kwarteng
Friendly Ties #1, 2024
dyed canvas, culturally significant fabrics
44 x 32 in.

Shingo Yamazaki
Float, 2023
oil on canvas
40 x 30 in.

Christina Lucia Giuffrida
The Lookout, 2025
paper stretched over panel, gouache, dispersion pigment, acrylic
40 x 32 in.

Peter Hong Tsun Chan
To Play Pretend, 2022
oil on linen
25.5 x 37.5 in.
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Benny Or
Homecoming (Khmer Figure, 9th Century, Cambodia), 2025
oil on linen
40 x 30 in.

Azadeh Nia
Terrace, 2025
acrylic on panel
30 x 24 in.

Azadeh Nia
Soundless Desert, 2024
acrylic on panel
18 x 24 in.

Yifan Jiang
The Search, 2024
oil on canvas
24 x 24 in.

Henry Hung Chang
A Three-Year Journey to Pure Land, 2023
watercolor and gesso on paper mounted on board
22.5 x 15 in. / 24.5 x 17 in. framed

Henry Hung Chang
The Odds Against a Misfortune, 2024
watercolor and gesso on paper mounted on board
22.5 x 11.75 in. / 24.5 x 14 in. framed

Peter Hong Tsun Chang
Bulls Eye (Morning), 2024
oil on canvas
16 x 20 in.

Sylvia Trotter Ewens
Light’s Echo, 2025
oil on canvas
20 x 16 in.
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Andrius Alvarez-Backus
Be With Me (Not Here, Not There Either), 2024
dried Manila palm leaves, pigmented beeswax, aluminum
160 x 28 x 28 in.

Andrius Alvarez-Backus
Touch Me in the Morning, 2023
birdseed, latex, glitter, found suitcase, silk ribbon, acrylic
24 x 96 x 36 in.