Jessica Cadkin: Eyelid Movies
August 29 – October 4, 2025
- Artists’ Reception: Saturday, August 30, 3 – 5 pm
- Artists’ Talks: Saturday, September 13, 3 – 5 pm
- Oakland Art Murmur / First Friday: September 5, October 3, 5 – 9 pm
Jessica Cadkin keeps a dream log. For her show, Eyelid Movies, her written notes inspired the creation of seven pillows: amalgamations of recurring themes and imagery that frequently emerged from her subconscious. Through a blend of embroidery and appliqué, and a combination of material such as artificial flowers, plastic birds, sequins, fringe, and tiny pom-poms, Cadkin mirrors the surreal and seemingly non-sequitur paths that dreams take. On the reverse of these pieces, Cadkin incorporates a combination of donated and vintage hand embroidered pillowcases. The hand-stitched pillow cases carry deep cultural resonance, symbolizing a girl’s dowry, family heritage, and domestic craft. While working with the used pillow cases, Cadkin often wondered at who slept on them, and the dreams they may have had.
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Available Work
Jessica Cadkin
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 the de Young Museum, Headlands Center for the Arts, Southern Exposure, di Rosa Preserve, Bateman Foundation Gallery of Nature, Bedford Gallery, Root Division, and the Berkeley Art Center. Cadkin joined Mercury Twenty Gallery in 2020, this is her fifth show with the gallery.