By: Marissa Ross

At AP SPACE in Chelsea, Between Movement and Stillness creates a compelling dialogue between two artists who masterfully explore abstraction in vastly different ways: Serena Bocchino, whose work moves with the rhythm of jazz, and Yoo Choong Mok, whose glass sculptures hold the stillness of memory. On view through August 30, 2025, this dual exhibition strikes a delicate balance between energy and contemplation, inviting viewers to experience the full spectrum of visual sensation, from vibrant motion to quiet pause.

Bocchino’s canvases are filled with movement, as if sound itself has been captured mid-performance and translated into paint. A longtime figure in the American abstract art scene, Bocchino is known for transforming music, dance, and rhythm into vivid visual language. Her approach is influenced by synesthesia, a neurological condition that allows her to perceive sound as color, shape, and line in motion. The result is a body of work that feels alive; enamel, graphite, and mixed media sweep and swirl across the canvas like an improvisational jazz solo, each mark hitting its note with intention and emotion.

Her career began in New York’s East Village, where she exhibited in both alternative and commercial galleries. Early recognition came when Susan Rothenberg selected her for a standout group show alongside artists such as Eric Fischl, April Gornik, and Jenny Holzer. This momentum led to a residency at PS1/MoMA and her first international solo exhibition in Rome, establishing Bocchino as a powerful voice in contemporary abstraction. Over the years, her work has been exhibited worldwide, from San Francisco’s Museo Italo Americano to the Nicolaysen Art Museum in Wyoming, and at the Taoxichuan Art Museum of China’s Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), which has acquired several of her paintings for its permanent collection.

Bocchino’s work is also part of major collections including the Bronx Museum of the Arts, St. Louis Art Museum, and the Zimmerli Art Museum. She has received awards such as the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant, the Art Matters Award, and the Basil Alkazzi Award, and she continues to evolve her practice with the same boldness that once defined the East Village scene. Most recently, her visually musical works lit up Times Square in 2024, reaching a global audience with their dynamic energy.

Where Bocchino’s art thrives on movement and rhythm, Yoo Choong Mok’s glass sculptures inhabit a space of stillness and quiet reflection. A Korean artist trained in both Korea and the UK, Yoo reimagines traditional Korean colors and forms through sleek, contemporary glasswork. His latest series centers on glass droplets, mounted on yellow wood panels or raw canvas, which shift in tone and cast changing shadows as the light moves. These subtle changes echo Yoo’s ongoing exploration of memory, impermanence, and the ways identity evolves over time.

Yoo’s work is deeply informed by dancheong; the decorative painting tradition found on Korean temples, and the five symbolic Korean colors, which he interprets with a modern sensibility. His journey includes years of study at Namseoul University, a master’s at the University of Sunderland, and a PhD from Seoul National University of Science and Technology. After a decade abroad in the United States and the UK, Yoo returned to Korea to reconnect with his roots, blending heritage with contemporary design. His achievements include the National Glass Center Grand Prize (2013) and the NICHE Award (2007), and his works are held in collections across Korea, Europe, and the United States.

Together, Bocchino and Yoo present an exhibition at AP Space that feels like a conversation; one of sound and silence, color and transparency, energy and calm. Between Movement and Stillness is not just a visual experience but an emotional one, a rare moment where two distinct artistic languages harmonize.