Barrier
Magnus Sodamin

February 5 - March 5, 2023

Opening Reception:
Sunday, February 5th, 2-5 PM

KDR305 presents Barrier, a solo presentation of new paintings by Miami-based artist Magnus Sodamin.  

In Barrier, lush oil paintings capture the power and vitality of the mangrove forests of South Florida. Sodamin evokes awe-inspiring humility when humans confront forces more powerful than themselves. Mangrove forests offer a harsh unwelcoming habitat for humans, with the ground too soft to stand on and roots covered with jagged barnacles. Slow-moving waters allow fine sediments to accumulate, which provides swarming shelters for mosquitos and a myriad of other creatures harboring in its arches.

For over a decade, Sodamin has spent days and nights immersed in these ecosystems poling his skiff, sight fishing, camping out, and finding wonder in these entangled mazes. The environment keeps calling him back to a world one can't fully discover. The paintings reflect the harsh beauty he sees in the natural landscape from an experienced eye, depicting ocean and land, each tree with a habitat of snails, birds, snakes, and air plants. Fluid brushstrokes of color reveal oysters, fish, sea moss, and corals. He examines each mangrove as an exploration of an entire universe.

Standing as ancient monoliths, anchored to the ground, unfazed and undeterred by years of hurricanes and storm surges. They persevere as South Florida's beautiful, protective, yet unyielding Barrier. 

Magnus Sodamin ( b. 1987, New York, New York )
Sodamin received his BFA from the New World School of the Arts in Miami,FL. His most recent solo exhibitions include Dot Fiftyone Gallery, Miami, FL; Primary Projects, Miami, FL; The Quartier, Vienna, Austria. He  has participated at residencies at the Agder Kunst Center, Norway; The Vermont Studio Center, VT; The Airie Residency, National Everglades Park, FL,  and The Deering Estate Year-long Residency, Miami, FL; He lives and works in Miami, FL.

KDR305 is a contemporary exhibition space housed in a 103 yr old cottage in the heart of Little Havana, Miami, FL. The exhibition opens Sunday, February 5th, 2-5 PM. Rideshare is encouraged as there is limited public street parking.