Be Present, Connect: Paintings and Monotypes by Soad Kader
February 1 - 28, 2010

Soad Kader’s black and white monoprints reference the embrace of a dance or a hug while simultaneously resembling the sonogram of a developing embryo. Considering one idea that our quest for embrace or “Buscando el Abrazo,” might come from a deep-rooted desire to reconnect to the womb, these works contextualize human lifecycle in a succinct, spontaneous, and organic way.

Kader’s colorful portraits, that seem as equally unrehearsed in their making as the monotypes, capture an emotional likeness of the sitters. Kader’s interest in making these portraits comes from her continual practice of “being present and living in the moment” in order to make more profound connections. In her own words “Through the gesture of each brushstroke, painting acts as a communicative action inviting the viewer to engage and bringing to life a conversation.”

Kader studied with Wayne Thiebaud, Manuel Neri, Roland Peterson, David Hollowell, and Squeak Carnwath among other artists at the University of California, Davis. Kader continued to learn and grow through work with a variety of artists of diverse disciplines, both locally and internationally, including a stay at an artist-in-residency program, Fundación Valparaíso, in Mojácar, Spain.

Artist Reception
Saturday, February 6, 7 - 10pm