Breaking Through
September 5  – September 28, 2025

*VIEW/COLLECT ARTWORK HERE*

Paradigm Gallery + Studio is pleased to present Breaking Through, an exhibition featuring the work of Heather Sundquist Hall, Graham Franciose, Roche Cruchon, Sophie Roach, and Kevin Snipes. The exhibition showcases each artist's individual visual vocabulary as they display how they break through barriers, real and imagined. These artists tell a compelling narrative using color and light as their guides with paper and pigment as their tools. Their work communicates stories of moving past darkness after experiencing loss and reaching across time to bring core memories back into the present. These collections challenge our perceptions by changing our interactions with language, combine music and art to invoke emotion, and allowing hardship to guide inspiration towards new artistic discoveries.

This exhibition will be complemented by a performing artist residency featuring music in development by Philadelphia-based musician Martronimous through the month of September. Engaging in improvisation and continually evolving compositions, Martronimous will be performing a suite of pieces using field recordings and synthesizers alongside his trumpet practice to add to the overall aesthetic experience of the exhibition. Martronimous will perform his pieces live in the gallery space on Sundays from 3-5pm through the end of the exhibition. 

Heather Sundquist Hall

Heather Sundquist Hall (b. 1982) is a Central Texas-based artist originally from Long Island, NY, with roots also in Philadelphia, PA. Known for her detailed, narrative-rich paintings, Heather works primarily in gouache to explore themes of memory, place, and the beauty found in the everyday.

Her work is often centered around landscape—particularly the vast, romantic terrain one experiences on a road trip across the country. These open roads, awe-striking skies, and fleeting roadside moments appear frequently in her compositions, often contrasted with carefully observed objects: a weathered curtain, a roadside souvenir, or the distinct plaid of a couch from her childhood. Her paintings are rich with subtle, emotionally resonant details that evoke a sense of nostalgia and story.

Heather has exhibited her work in galleries and spaces across the world. Each piece acts as a visual keepsake—an invitation to pause, reflect, and reconnect with personal memory. Her practice encourages viewers to rediscover the overlooked moments that quietly shape our lives.

View/collect artwork from Heather Sundquist Hall here

Graham Franciose

Graham Franciose (b. 1983) is an artist and illustrator splitting his time between Seattle WA and Austin TX. The illustrative and narrative nature of his work stems from his original interest in children’s book illustration at the University of Hartford (2001-2005). Although he never went into that field, his paintings often coax the viewer into creating their own story with the image as just a sliver, with the beginning and end up to interpretation.  
Much of Franciose's work is rooted in the human experience, and often the hardships, loss, grief and challenges of being alive.  Despite the melancholic nature of his work, there is almost always a glimmer of hope and lightness amongst the dark, a silver lining that you might just have to take a little time to find, much like in our actual lives.

View/collect artwork by Graham Franciose here

Roche Cruchon

Roche Cruchon is an artist from France who now lives in the Mediterranean basin. They studied animation at Gobelins and, shortly after graduating, directed a film called “Couchée” for French TV. Having worked as an art director at Buck in Los Angeles, they now focus on creating sculptures, paintings, and illustrations. They find inspiration in the mediums they use, be it digital or traditional, 2D or 3D, still or moving images, and the connections they find between them. Roche explores the intersection of virtual and physical realities, embracing their ever-changing nature. Their art has been exhibited in various European and US galleries, including Leiminspace in Los Angeles and Barney Savage Gallery in New York. In 2020, Roche received the Young Gun Award for illustration.

View/collect artwork by Roche Cruchon here

Sophie Roach

Sophie Roach (b. 1988) is a multi-disciplinary visual artist currently based in Landers, CA and Austin, TX. By using familiar shapes, patterns and her own intuition, Roach has created a unique visual language based on spontaneity and rhythm. She began painting murals in her hometown of Austin, TX in 2013 and since then has created large-scale, freehand drawings all over the USA and abroad. The themes of her mural work extend into her studio practice where she creates intricate drawings and paintings. By prioritizing intuitive marks rather than pre-planned designs, her colorful, abstract work attempts to reflect the diversity and repetition of a garden, city, or song — all things that are reconciled to their inner forces. 

View/collect artwork by Sophie Roach here

Kevin Snipes

Kevin Snipes (he/him) is an American artist known for his ceramic work that blurs the boundaries between craft and art. Born in Philadelphia, PA and raised in Cleveland, OH, Snipes has cultivated a unique artistic style that combines narratives, figure drawing, text, and hand-formed porcelain constructions, resulting in 3D objects that can also be interpreted as multi-layered paintings. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally.  Snipes received a BFA in Ceramics and Drawing from the Cleveland Institute of Art and attended graduate studies at the University of Florida. Throughout his career, he has worked and lived in numerous places, allowing his surroundings to augment his sense of self. Currently he calls Philadelphia, PA home. 

View/collect artwork from Kevin Snipes here

About Paradigm Gallery + Studio
Paradigm Gallery + Studio® was established in 2010 by co-founders and curators, Jason Chen and Sara McCorriston. The gallery exhibits meaningful, process-intense contemporary artwork by emerging and mid-career artists from around the world, with a focus on Philadelphia. In 2023, Paradigm moved locations and opened its new 5-story, 7,000 sq. ft. home, The Paradigm Arts Building, in Old City, Philadelphia. Open to the public, the building boasts multiple floors of exhibition space, integrated in-house design and printmaking, a dedicated events floor, and art advisory offices. With this, Chen and McCorriston expanded their vision for the greater Philadelphia arts community. The gallery is at the heart of this vision, anchoring Paradigm’s overall mission of increasing access to the commercial art world, supporting artists and advancing their careers, and collaborating with like-minded partners to build a more equitable, sustainable arts economy for all.

EXHIBITION HOURS
Thursdays • 10 AM – 6 PM
Fridays • 10 AM – 6 PM
Saturdays • 11 AM – 6 PM
Sundays • 11 AM – 5 PM
And by appointment outside of hours.

MEDIA CONTACT
For all inquiries contact info@paradigm-gallery.com

LOCATION
12 N. 3rd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106

SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram: @ParadigmGS
TikTok: ParadigmGallery
Facebook: facebook.com/paradigmgallery

*VIEW/COLLECT ARTWORK HERE*