News

May 5, 2017

“Lumpy Projector” and “은별” open at the Lewis Center for the Arts

Two Senior Thesis Shows by Louisa Willis and Tiffany Cho

The Visual Arts Program at the Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton University will present “Lumpy Projector,” an immersive installation featuring analog projection, photography, and video in a study of translucency and visual experience by Princeton senior Louisa Willis, and “은별,” an exhibition of digital collages exploring issues of appearance, mental health and being the “other” by Princeton senior Tiffany Cho. Willis’s work will be on view May 8 through 12 in the Lucas Gallery at 185 Nassau Street with an opening reception on May 9 at 5:45 p.m. Cho’s work will be exhibited in Room 301 at 185 Nassau Street also May 8 through 12 with an opening reception on May 11 at 7:30 p.m. The exhibitions and receptions are free and open to the public.

louisa willis projection

One of the works by Louisa Willis to be included in her senior thesis exhibition, “Lumpy Projector.” Photo credit: Louisa Willis

In “Lumpy Projector,” Willis presents sculpture, projection, photographs and video to explore light, along with objects that explore light and create a space for visual study. Within the Lucas Gallery, Willis’s work will be presented using overhead projectors, light boxes and tri-chrome photographs that experiment with layering of light and color. The exhibition also features a cinema constructed of paper in which to view her experimental films about light and color.

Willis, who is from Seattle, Washington, was originally a history major and only switched her major to visual arts this past fall. She took last year off to live in Beijing, where she worked for TEDxBeijing and gained valuable exposure to Beijing’s contemporary arts scene, an experience that heavily inspired her exhibition. Her experiences exploring a place she had never been before, as well as seeing new things every day and meeting new artists, influenced both her artwork and her change in major. This particular project is an act of visual study influenced not only by experiences in unknown places, but also by a childhood hearing impairment that allowed her to develop a reliance on visual language and careful watching.

tiffany cho artwork

One of the works by Tiffany Cho to be included in her senior thesis exhibition, “은별”
Photo credit: Tiffany Cho

In “은별,” Cho uses a series of digital collages, which have been hand-drawn and scanned as well as drawn via computer, to create small installations. Her exhibition is rooted in her experiences growing up in church, issues of how one appears, mental health challenges she has faced, and feeling like the “other,” that is, how the complex and multiple identities that define both how we see ourselves and how others perceive us — including personal attributes such as gender, race, ethnicity, or nationality — may make one feel different than those around them. Cho notes that her exhibition looks “through a lens of humor” at these issues, referencing pop culture and television shows.

Cho, whose parents are from Korea, grew up in California and is majoring in visual arts. The title of her exhibition is her Korean name. She came to Princeton planning to major in art history under the belief that she did not have the skills necessary to pursue artmaking, however she applied for the program in her sophomore year and was accepted. Advisors and faculty who have inspired her work include Eve Aschheim, AnnMarie Perl, Alice Chung, and Kurt Kauper.

The Lucas Gallery and Room 301 at 185 Nassau Street are open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Press Contact

Steve Runk
Director of Communications
609-258-5262
srunk@princeton.edu