Nik Cho’s palette and expressive brushstrokes contrast with his upbringing with a domineering father and in an austere Korean culture. His inspiration stems from exploring and expressing his identity and actively combating the societal Korean expectation to be reserved in regard to sexuality. Coming to the US, he has been able to create the space to “come out.” His work conveys hidden glimpses of memory and a hint of playful provocativeness. Rather than eschewing the often stigmatized topic of homosexuality in his figurative paintings, he opts to maximize the intensity of specific intimate moments by choosing unconventional colors, increasing the contrast between light and dark and interjecting minimal middle tones. This exaggeration sheds light on the corporate and media desire to focus on rainbow colors and “Pride” while hiding the darker side of queer life. His palette contrasts with and points out the underlying negative emotions that are associated with an expression of sexual identity and the everyday life of queer people.