b r e a t h e . i n . b r e a t h e . o u t

breathe in, breathe out

the new exhibit at decorazon gallery, oak cliff, texas, titled ‘breathe in, breathe out’
of my friends ali akbar and sara cardona is a remarkable one.

exploring both large and small scale paintings, ali akbar, utilizes texture a lot. its the toil of excavation he is into. i like his works very much because he kind of pushes his limit as an inventor and struggles through it. one can feel the result at the time of his journey. the end result is many poetic surfaces. i love the piece called the 'Homage to Soutine' – Mixed media on canvas. here he has recreated the residual memories of southine's painterliness and his distant presence as a unique artist and at the same time a minimal take on the subject to show a new interpretation is possible.
ali is a native of dhaka, bangladesh, and has exhibited extensively in his homeland as well as in the united states. he is a graduate of southeastern oklahoma state university and dhaka university, and recently attended a fellowship residency program at the vermont studio center.

'Homage to Soutine' – Mixed media on canvas


sara cardona is an artist who reminds me of a lovable frida khalo who does collages.
in both collage and painting, sara develops portraits of characters from fiction, theater, and history. utilizing embroidery, craft material associated with theater, and a poetic sensibility, a multitude of personas are created, each with a possible narrative. sara cardona is a graduate of the univ. of texas in austin and has an mfa from the tyler school of art in philadelphia, pa.

Margarita - Mixed media on paper

both artists currently reside in dallas, texas.