Jessica Cadkin: a small body

Using 35-millimeter slides from the 1950s through the 1970s, Cadkin layers them to create unexpected landscapes for her series ‘a small body.’ The slides are from the estate sale of a deceased 100-year-old dentist who took vacation photos at locations including South America, Disneyland, and Hawaii. Selecting the slides was an intimate and voyeuristic experience: viewing a stranger’s life shared with his family, many of whom are presumably dead, seen through the lens of his camera at some of their seemingly happiest and most memorable moments. The layered slides are lit from behind in 8” x 8” wooden boxes, painted to replicate the cardboard mounting that encased a majority of the vintage slides. Viewers are invited to look closely.

Jessica Cadkin was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and grew up in Napa, California. She received a BA in Sculpture and Painting from San Francisco State University. Her work has appeared in group shows internationally and throughout Northern California including Headlands Center for the Arts, Southern Exposure, di Rosa Preserve, Bateman Foundation Gallery of Nature, Bedford Gallery, Root Division, and the Berkeley Art Center.

Artists’ Reception: Sunday, February 25, 3 – 5 pm
Oakland Art Murmur / First Friday: March 1, 5 – 9 pm
Artists’ Talk: Saturday, March 16, 3 – 5 pm
Gallery Hours: Friday and Saturday, 12 – 5 pm (and by appointment)

Image: Jessica Cadkin, a small body, 2023, mixed media, 8”x8” each, 15 total, photo credit: Dana Davis