Since Kamea Hadar and Defer collaborated last February on a mural in Honolulu for Pow Wow Hawaii, the two artists have joined forces in the studio for a new series of paintings currently on view at 1AM Gallery in San Francisco. Hadar’s portraiture and Defer’s otherworldly calligraphy complement each other almost seamlessly, as demonstrated by their most recent joint effort, “Paradise Lost.”
A series that requires slow contemplation, “Paradise Lost” focuses on the zoomed-in details of the subjects’ faces. As we examine the lines of each feature, our eyes are invited to trace the contours of the surrounding calligraphy. Defer paints feverishly, as if writing in an imaginary language that borrows elements from the various tongues of the world. This chaos is tempered the thoughtful expressions of Hadar’s subjects, which seem to be at peace in the eye of the storm. During their stay in San Francisco, the duo left two murals in the surrounding area of 1AM.
“Paradise Lost” is on view through August 29.
