Soad Kader: Recently Added Galleries and Collections

2023 - Remembering Why (cyanotypes)

soadkader@gmail.com (Soad Kader) — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

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Better Questions

soadkader@gmail.com (Soad Kader) — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

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In these works I am extending my "Inner Worlds" explorations by making a series of monotypes exploring the oval frame for my profile silhouttes as a nod to nostalgic portrait forms while centering historically maginalized people as the subjects. We all need to remember that we are here and valued and beautiful in art and in the world.
I use the profile silhouette in my artwork to talk about the ways in which what we carry inside us plays out in the world around us. Awareness and agency can lead us to make changes if we are willing to probe deeper and ask better questions of ourselves, our stories, our layered inner lives, the systems and the communities we're a part of and how they affect us. What do we keep or let go to better align with ourselves and create the life we want?

monotypes on paper
made at Kala Art Institute in 2023

About Artist Soad Kader

Working within the mediums of collage, painting, printmaking and installation, Soad Kader explores ideas of connection, empowerment, joy and wholeness from the inside out. Informed by her ongoing journey of becoming more fully herself within her multiracial, multicultural, immigrant heritage living and learning on four continents, Soad encourages us to also step more fully into ourselves. Inner worlds create outer worlds. Soad’s work invites us to appreciate the beauty of our inner treasures and tribulations to better align our pleasures, power and purpose.

faces & portraits

soadkader@gmail.com (Soad Kader) — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

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Faces are the most interesting things we see; other people fascinate me, and the most interesting aspect of other people – the point where we go inside them – is the face. It tells all. ~David Hockney

We come into the world primed to connect with the faces around us. Babies first focus attention on faces and this fascination continues through life as we find very personal ways of communicating through our expressions. The glance penetrates the private psychological space of the other and also reveals one’s own… an act of intimacy. I’m interested in this connection and the nuances and depth of communicating without words.

My hope with these [paintings], because they are a little more interesting than a pretty face, is that there will be a connection with our human side and a connection with the faces in our own lives. ~Rich Brimer

veil, reveal

soadkader@gmail.com (Soad Kader) — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

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While I was painting my series of faces, I found myself being intrigued by covering them and then uncovering them with different layers, gestures and textures of paint. In doing that, I realized that I was veiling them.

A veil is an emotionally charged piece of cloth, an article of clothing that evokes sensual, sacred, or political reactions depending on cultural, social, or historical context and individual interpretation. This cloth can protect or provoke, hide, disguise, secure or reveal, enhance or mystify individual personality. It also communicates identity with a particular group, but at the same time, it has a highly personal meaning to the wearer. In the West, a veil in white is associated with a bride, while in black with a widow. It can be made of silk, cotton, or wool and can be tossed, wrapped, draped, tucked, tied or pinned in hundreds of styles. Called a head wrap, headscarf, headdress, turban, or veil, a piece of cloth has been used to cover the head and sometimes the face in cultures worldwide for centuries.

My Egyptian Muslim memories of early childhood in Cairo include learning verses from the Koran and praying alongside my grandmother Soad. Being a good Muslim was about moral and spiritual understanding and practice. What one wore was insignificant to religious belonging and spiritual commitment. I remember my aunts following the latest fashions from Paris, which at the time included mini skirts and sleeveless dresses, and this choice didn’t make them any less Muslim. Headscarves were worn by some villagers, but were quite rare in the city. Decades later, due to sociopolitical and economic reasons, Egyptians’ interpretation of religion changed to focus more on outward appearances and rituals under the guise of being true to one’s identity of being and looking Muslim and not Western.

Particularly since 9/11, for many Westerners a veiled woman represents oppression and a highly visible sign of a despised difference. There is often a reaction to want to liberate, empower, enlighten; this assumption delivered with condescending sympathy. These kinds of responses have always made me bristle. At the same time, they have challenged me to share personal experiences and ideas in an effort to encourage inquiry and learning rather than assumption and judgment.

By painting different images of veiled faces and figures I am revealing a broad range of emotion that reflects the wearer’s great spirit, beauty, elegance, wisdom, mystery, connection, and strength regardless of that individual’s particular perspective or circumstance.

unexpected gifts

soadkader@gmail.com (Soad Kader) — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

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In these compositions, intent, hesitation, chance are all qualities of movement affecting the course of the ink as I place it on the canvas. I either guide it or let it go find its own edge. In that space between holding on and letting go is an opportunity to find great flow and be present.

These paintings speak to the process of change…seeing it, being and moving with it, observing what is at any one moment and being open to the process. In being flexible we can more easily respond with resilience...revealing unexpected gifts.

Inner Worlds - Archive (Sold Artwork)

soadkader@gmail.com (Soad Kader) — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

]]>Inner Worlds are kaleidoscopes of multilayered pieces of color, texture, line, and pattern reflecting qualities of inner life as a call to know ourselves and each other more deeply, beyond our outer profiles. With an interplay of analog and digital processes Soad photographs, cuts, collages and then prints the completed portrait onto wood to incorporate its natural grain. Diverse silhouettes hung together highlight the interconnectedness of our shared humanity through common colors/textures/shapes/patterns.

Shining a light on self reflection and awareness and connecting to the beauty and truth within helps us increase our capacity to see those qualities in others. By acknowledging what we find in our inner world we have an opportunity to make choices about what to keep and what to release in the process of our personal and communal becoming.

When you take care of yourself, you're a better person for others. When you feel good about yourself, you treat others better. ~Solange Knowles

The struggle has always been inner, and is played out in outer terrains. Awareness of our situation must come before inner changes, which in turn come before changes in society. Nothing happens in the "real" world unless it first happens in the images in our heads. ~Gloria E. Anzaldúa

The choice to love is a choice to connect--- to find ourselves in the other. ~bell hooks

Presence creates possibility, - who we see thriving in the world teaches us how to see ourselves, how to think about our own value, how to dream about our futures. ~America Ferrera

2023 - More of what You Love

soadkader@gmail.com (Soad Kader) — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

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How much do you let yourself love what you love? That deep resounding feeling of yes! Colors, spaces, people, vistas, objects, ttextures, flavors, experiences, sensations, sounds - anything that attracts you with a pull from your heart. This Yes is about giving yourself permission to shift focus of what is a priority from what’s good for you over to what makes you feel good. Loving what you love guides you to live a life aligned with your true desires, values, and aspirations to let your authentic self shine. When you wholeheartedly embrace and pursue the things that bring you joy, you cultivate a deeper connection and love with your true self. This joy radiates outward inspiring and positively impacting others. Yes please do and be more of what you love!

Connecting to her diverse community of participants, Soad’s process weaves both analog and digital methods of photography, collage, painting, and printing to arrive at the final one-of-a-kind artwork. Reflecting on our own delights, our common humanity, and embracing our interconnectedness, images of textile patterns, hair, or background textures from all participants are combined in creating More Of What You Love.

Working within the mediums of collage, painting, printmaking and installation, Soad explores ideas of connection, empowerment, joy and wholeness from the inside out. Informed by her ongoing journey of becoming more fully herself within her multiracial, multicultural, immigrant heritage living and learning on four continents, Soad encourages us to also step more fully into ourselves. Inner worlds create outer worlds. Soad’s work invites us to appreciate the beauty of our inner treasures and tribulations to better align our pleasures, power and purpose.

Inner Worlds - 2020 - 2021

soadkader@gmail.com (Soad Kader) — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

]]>Kaleidoscopic Inner Worlds reference portraits of my Egyptian heritage reimagined into portals of self awareness highlighting the beauty we have inside us. These abstract portraits envision conversations we have with ourselves and each other to deepen our listening, seeing, and understanding. We tend to focus on our outer lives, moving so fast that we lose touch with our inner selves, our whole selves. This imbalance causes dis-ease in our bodies, minds, spirits, and relationships. Inner Worlds beckon us to give more attention inward to examine old patterns and stories that do not serve us, and then rewrite new ways forward in our personal and communal healing.

Connecting to my diverse community of participants turned models I photograph them to get my source material for the collage process. With the images of hair, accessories, and textiles I compose within a silhouetted profile. I then photograph and print the composition onto a raw wood panel to incorporate the wood grain in the final artwork. Weaving analog and digital techniques sheds light on our need for inclusion of multiple perspectives to find answers to our shared and layered challenges. By seeing ourselves in the variety of portraits, we feel included and empowered to build our futures together. Inner changes leading to outer changes.

Inner Worlds III
archival pigment uniquely uv printed on wood panel 10"x10"x 1" each portrait

Inner Worlds II
archival pigment uniquely uv printed on wood panel 10"x10"x 1.5" each portrait

One of a kind, just like you.
They're great on their own and in pairs, families, and other groupings.

Available through StudioSoad

Art on the Wall

soadkader@gmail.com (Soad Kader) — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

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The abstract portraits of Inner Worlds are hung and enjoyed in intimate and public spaces, alone and together to inspire and represent listening, connection, introspection, self-awareness and openness to varied perspectives in community. We see ourselves. We see each other. We feel included and empowered to create our futures together.

I am inspired by the various ways that these portraits inspire, represent, support, and remind us of who we are and who we can become - the beauty in each of us and in our relationship to one another. Sometimes we see ourselves in the portraits, or maybe our friends, family, colleagues or s/heroes. We make visible those we serve or aspire to serve and those we are in community with in both professional and personal circles.

By being still and taking time for focused attention we can explore the layered and textured topography of our inner selves and choose to listen deeply, choose what to let go and what to create moving forward. I am imagining our healing and thriving - inner and outer.

Available artwork is seen online or can be commissioned to celebrate your people.

abrazos: above & close

soadkader@gmail.com (Soad Kader) — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

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I fell in love with Argentina…first by visiting my friend Celeste in Patagonia, then through the charms of Buenos Aires. One of the effects of this love is a yearning to dance tango.

Through an abrazo (embrace) we can feel our partners, feel our own emotions, feel our body, feel the music, feel the movement, and feel a connection…all which we hope to respond to or express each time we come together and step out onto the dance floor. Dancing tango requires complete presence with, connection to, and trust in one’s partner. The process of learning this sensual, improvisational dance reveals layers of metaphor for life, relationships, intimacy.

I explore this experience in my close-up paintings of embraced couples, as if the viewer is dancing with them, feeling that special energy created between them. In another group of paintings, I show bird’s eye views of a Milonga, (a tango dance party), exploring the emotion and movement expressed through dancing couples in a particular space. Then focusing closer, buscando el abrazo is a series of small format monotypes* mostly in black and white which depict a singular embrace as viewed from above - see and feel the nuances of movement and connection of an embrace in motion.

*Monotypes are one-of-a-kind hand made prints made by drawing or painting on a non-absorbent surface and then transferring the image onto a sheet of paper.

2023 - You Belong Here

soadkader@gmail.com (Soad Kader) — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

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Inner Worlds - 2019

soadkader@gmail.com (Soad Kader) — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

]]>Soad make cutouts from the printed profile portrait photographs she captures of her diverse community of colleagues, family, friends, teachers, as well as recent acquaintances. Soad chooses and arranges the cutouts into a temporary relationship of parts to depict an individual inner world. She then photographs her constructions with shadows and spaces enjoying the imperfections of the printed hand-cut edges, then prints the composition onto a wood panel to incorporate the wood grain in the final artwork. An interplay of both analog and digital techniques speak to openness and fluidity to finding what feels right when looking into the layered and textured topography of our Inner Worlds.

When hung together the portraits reveal the interconnectedness of our shared humanity through abstractions of repeating, shapes and textures reflecting qualities of inner life as a call to know and connect with ourselves and each other more deeply, beyond our outer profiles.

“Happiness comes from living as you need to, as you want to. As your inner voice tells you to. Happiness comes from being who you actually are instead of who you think you are supposed to be.” ~Shonda Rhimes

“Learn to trust your inner teacher, the burst of relaxation and freedom that rings through your whole body.” ~Martha Beck

We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative. We are mature in one realm, childish in another. The past, present, and future mingle and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present. We are made up of layers, cells, constellations. ~Anaïs Nin

Listen To Our Stories

soadkader@gmail.com (Soad Kader) — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

]]>Inspired by my research of varied voices to grow my quote collection Listen To Our Stories explores the vision of inclusive conversations. With these compositions I envision us coming together to share our unique perspectives. Listen to Our Stories imagines us facing each other to attentively listen with curiosity, empathy, and openness. We are interested in and present for each other with a deep desire for learning and connection. Everyone shares. Everyone listens. Everyone is valued.

Made with ink, acrylic, various mediums and paper on canvas, I build up subtle reliefs in the shape of a variety of silhouetted profiles inspired by the ancient relief carvings and rich color palettes of my Egyptian heritage. While each canvas represents an individual, the composition focuses on shape, color, texture and the relationship between canvases to emphasize the qualities of listening.

I care about who you are, who you have been, who you want to be. I open myself to you to listen and learn about you. I cherish you, not just my fantasy of who you are, not just who I need you to be, but who you really are... ~Betty Berzon

The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story. ~Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

People start to heal the moment they feel heard. ~Cheryl Richardson

Listen, or your tongue will keep you deaf. ~Native American Proverb

Listening looks easy, but it's not simple. Every head is a world. ~Cuban Proverb

Look at what scares you in the face, and try to understand it. Empathy, I have learned, is revolutionary. ~Jane Fonda

I learned so much from listening to people. And all I knew was, the only thing I had was honesty and openness. ~Audre Lorde

You know, I have come to think listening is love, that's what it really is. ~Brenda Ueland

finding comfort where we overlap

soadkader@gmail.com (Soad Kader) — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

]]>Each piece is 5.5x8.5" framed to 8.5x11". They are made with acrylic, ink, fabric, pastel, & paper on paper.

This series, finding comfort where we overlap speaks to moments of connection with each other over a shared experience of delight. It can happen with with friends, family or strangers. The point of focus can be an amazing view, or food, over the light, sound, or scent of a particular event, when we experience something funny and burst out laughing together. Being in it together, savoring it and finding great comfort in those spaces where our hearts and minds overlap and we feel united.

abrazos: monotypes

soadkader@gmail.com (Soad Kader) — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

]]>buscando el abrazo

buscando el abrazo (in search of the embrace) is a series of small format monotypes* mostly in black and white which focus on an embraced dancing couple viewed from overhead… see and feel the nuances of movement and connection of an embrace in motion.

Through an embrace (abrazo) we can feel our partners, feel our own emotions, feel our body, feel the music, feel the movement, and feel a connection all which we hope to respond to or express each time we come together and step out onto the dance floor. Dancing tango requires complete presence with, connection to, and trust in one’s partner. The process of learning this sensual, improvisational dance reveals layers of metaphor for life, relationships, intimacy.

*Monotypes are one-of-a-kind hand made prints made by drawing or painting on a non-absorbent surface and then transferring the image onto a sheet of paper.