Kamea Hadar’s exhibition, White Dreams, on display at Loft in Space through August 19, deals with themes of sex, love, death and the human condition. Similar to a dream, the work hints at reality but aims to move away from a strict literal representation. The dream-like portraits are stripped of unneeded components, leaving only essential human forms and negative space. Hints of Hadar’s Israeli and Hawai‘i background can be seen in both painted imagery and materials like koa, a wood traditionally used within Hawaiian culture. The wood not only gives a natural and live quality, but also adds another dimension with its uniquely vibrant and three-dimensional grain. The 20-foot tall chandelier-like centerpiece takes this a step further and allows the audience a chance to interact with the work by climbing a staircase towards its central window. These interactions along with striking images, raw human emotions, and room for interpretation allow the audience to connect with the portraits and truly experience the work.
Kamea Hadar grew up in the worlds of his Japanese-Korean mother and Israeli father. He began studying drawing and painting from a young age. As a child, he took classes at the Honolulu Art Academy and University of Hawai‘i, and spent periods living, studying and creating at the Sorbonne in Paris, University of St. Louis in Madrid and the University of Tel Aviv, Israel. He is the youngest board member of the Hawaii Arts Alliance and one of the lead directors of Pow Wow Hawaii. His work has evolved over the years from his very traditionally schooled oil on canvas photo-realism to more surreal portraits that experiment with negative space, strip down their subjects to their purest forms, and aim to communicate more with less.
White Dreams, new works by Kamea Hadar
On display July 20 – August 19
Opening Friday, July 20: 5pm to 12am
Loft in Space
831 Queen Street