PEEP

Massiel Mafes, Palma, 2023. Acrylic paint, second-hand clothes, tulle, and thread on cotton canvas, 29 1/2 x 30 inches

Katina Bitsicas, Ντολμάδες (Dolmades), 2024. Archival Pigment Prints (from chlorophyll prints), 16 x 16 inches, edition of 5

Arnab Gan Choudhury, Babu Culture, 2024. Crayon on paper, 74 x 84 inches

Kate Holcomb Hale, 2022. Pastel on paper clay, various

Kate Holcomb Hale, brace (bannister), 2022. Pastel on paper clay, 6 1/2 x 12 x 1 1/4 inches

Kate Holcomb Hale, peek (keyhole), 2024. Pastel on paper clay, 1 3/4 x 1 3/4 x 1/4 inches

Kate Holcomb Hale, balance (floor boards), 2023. Pastel on paper clay, 7 3/4 x 4 1/2 x 1/4 inches

Kate Holcomb Hale, steady (staircase), 2022. Pastel on paper clay, 13 1/4 x 8 x 1/2 inches

Kate Holcomb Hale, guide (light switch), 2022. Pastel on paper clay, 5 1/2 x 10 x 1 inches

Placeholders

Group Show: Katina Bitsicas, Arnab Gan Choudhury, Kate Holcomb Hale, and Massiel Mafes

April 10 - May 10, 2025

Closing Reception: Thursday, May 8 | 6-9 pm

Open Saturdays from 12-5pm or by appointment

Peep is pleased to present Placeholders, a group show curated by Shira Fields, featuring artists Katina Bitsicas, Arnab Gan Choudhury, Kate Holcomb Hale, and Massiel Mafes. Each artist, hailing from diverse backgrounds, explores themes of longing, grief, displacement, and a sense of belonging in relation to home.

Katina Bitsicas draws inspiration from her family's now vacant farm, creating chlorophyll prints of grape leaves that evoke memories of her Yaya's dolmas and family gatherings. Arnab Gan Choudhury navigates the concept of 'home' as a nostalgic memory rather than a physical location, influenced by his upbringing in Kolkata and his subsequent move to the U.S. Kate Holcomb Hale reflects on the impact of the built environment through clay imprints of her home, created after the loss of her father, her Buffalo childhood home, and the challenges of COVID restrictions. Massiel Mafes merges reality with fantasy using her family’s second-hand clothing to explore belonging and displacement, drawing on her Cuban heritage and the stories of her family's migration.

Together, these artists invite viewers to reflect on the intricate relationships we maintain with our homes, as well as the memories and emotions intertwined with our identities. Placeholders serves as a poignant reminder of how home is not merely a place, but a complex tapestry of experiences, memories, and connections.

Katina Bitsicas is a Greek-American new media artist who utilizes video, installation, photography, AR and performance in her artworks to explore grief, loss, trauma and memory. She has exhibited worldwide, including The Armory Show, PULSE Art Fair, Satellite Art Fair, Superchief Gallery NFT, Plexus Projects, the Wheaton Biennial curated by Legacy Russell, CADAF: Digital Art Month Paris, Torrance Art Museum, Westbeth Gallery, New York, Eye’s Walk Festival, Syros, Greece, 57th Dimitria Festival, Thessaloniki, Greece, HereArt in New York, Art in Odd Places in Orlando, Digital Graffiti Festival, and the St. Louis International Film Festival. In 2022, her artist book Luci: The Girl with Four Hearts was published with Flower Press. She received her BA from Kalamazoo College, Post-Baccalaureate from SACI in Florence, Italy, and MFA from the University of South Florida. She is an Associate Professor and Coordinator of Digital Storytelling at the University of Missouri, where she also conducts research with the MU School of Medicine on utilizing digital storytelling as a meaning-making intervention for bereaved family members. This collaborative research has been published in Death Studies, OMEGA: Journal of Death and Dying, and the Journal of Social Work in End-Of-Life & Palliative Care.

Arnab Gan Choudhury (b. 1994, Kolkata, India) is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice explores the evolving concept of 'home.' Raised in Kolkata and later relocating to the United States, Arnab's work delves into the tension between nostalgia and memory. Drawing inspiration from 90s pop culture prevalent in Kolkata and the Bengali household, he creates intricate works that evoke the layered experience of displacement. Arnab completed his BFA from Maryland Institute College of Art in 2021 and his MFA from The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 2024. His work has been exhibited widely, with solo exhibitions in Kolkata and Maryland, and group shows across India, the U.S., and Bangladesh. Notable commissions include public sculptures for the Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre and the Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute. Arnab has received several prestigious awards, including the Edmund Stewardson Prize and The Mary Butler Trust Fellowship.

Kate Holcomb Hale (b. 1976, Buffalo, NY) is an interdisciplinary artist and educator who lives and works in greater Boston, MA. Kate received her MFA in critical theory and studio art from Maine College of Art & Design in Portland, Maine. She has exhibited throughout the United States and internationally, including exhibitions at The Danforth Art Museum (Framingham, MA), Zabludowicz Collection (London, UK), Praise Shadows Art Gallery (Boston, MA), LaiSun Keane Gallery (Boston, MA), Spilt Milk Gallery (Edinburgh Scotland), and the ICA (Portland ME). She attended the Jenny Family Residency in New Edinburgh, Nova Scotia in 2023 and is slated to attend the Virginia Center for Creative Arts Residency in early 2025. Kate’s artwork has been featured in The Boston Globe, Boston Art Review and will be featured in the forthcoming books, "Mother Art Prize 4th Edition" and "Empathetic Engagements."

Massiel Mafes is a New York City-based artist from Miami, Florida. Recent group exhibition includes Deli Gallery in collaboration with Calderón, New York City, NY (2024). Other exhibitions include Minnesota Street Project, San Francisco, CA (2018); Standard Projects, Kaukauna, WI (2017); and Somarts Cultural Center, San Francisco, CA (2017). She has participated in numerous residencies, including The Sam and Adele Golden Foundation for the Arts, New Berlin, NY (2024); Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT (2023); and Joya: arte + ecología, Velez-Rubio, Spain (2018). Her work has been featured in New American Paintings #164 and Artmaze Magazine 32nd Edition. Mafes received her Master of Fine Arts from California College of the Arts, San Francisco, in 2018.