A conversation with Kadae

A few weeks ago, we found ourselves drawn to the soft, layered paintings of Kadae, works that seem to exist somewhere between feeling and form. Her compositions unfold slowly, like a quiet atmosphere.Through this conversation, we explore her intuitive process, the tension between control and surrender, and the subtle moments that shape her work.

Hello Kadae, your work feels very soft and dreamlike, almost like an atmosphere. Could you tell us a bit about how your journey as an artist began?

Hello! Hmmm, creating has always been something natural to me. As a child, I loved making something beautiful and letting my imagination move freely. During my studies in Psychology, I started to feel that this creative part of me wanted to grow stronger. I then became a tattoo artist and worked full-time for five years, which was an amazing experience. But at the same time, I felt like I was missing something; the freedom to create without expectations, to express something more intangible that comes from within. That’s when I returned to painting. For the first time, I started working abstractly, focusing on translating atmosphere and feeling in my own way. That eventually evolved into the work I create now, soft, layered paintings with subtle colour transitions and a dreamlike quality.

 

Where do you find your inspiration, and do certain ideas or feelings return in your work over time?

In everything, really.

Anything I experience - what I feel, see, hear, think or dream — can inspire me. But it’s always about the energy behind it. If something touches me, it becomes a source of inspiration. After going through a difficult period and finding a sense of calm and trust within myself again, I felt drawn to express softness and stillness in my work. At the moment, I find a lot of inspiration in a park in Amsterdam where I walk daily. I observe people, the energy of the space, and how the seasons slowly transform the trees. Those small changes really stay with me. I also see painting as a form of journaling. Each work reflects what I’m experiencing at that moment, but over time there is a connection between them — like pages in a diary that together tell a larger story. That’s how series naturally develop.

 

Your process feels very intuitive. Do you begin with a clear idea, or does the work reveal itself along the way?

I work very intuitively, but within a certain technical framework. That allows me to fully immerse myself in the process without overthinking, and really follow my feeling. I often start with an idea in terms of colour or composition, but I always leave space to shift direction if something else feels right as I go.

 

 

And what role does trial and error play in that process?

Trial and error is my process. The technique I use now developed entirely through experimenting, observing what I was drawn to, and applying that again in new ways. I’ve tried countless materials — different canvases, paints, brushes, mediums, until it slowly started to look like what I create today. It’s definitely not a straight line and can still be frustrating at times, but it also allows me to create work that feels very personal and original.

When do you know a painting is finished?

It simply has to click. Of course it needs to feel right aesthetically, but more importantly, it has to feel like me. It needs to translate what I’m trying to express in that moment.

 

Your work feels calm, but is the process itself also that way?

Not always. When I’m painting, I can enter a state where everything else disappears and I completely lose track of time. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s calming. The process can actually be quite frustrating because I’m very critical of my work and I place a lot of value on it. I think I identify with my paintings in a certain way, so when something doesn’t work or when I feel blocked, it can feel like a real struggle. But when it does come together, that feeling is amazing.

 

What do you hope someone feels when they see your work?

I hope it becomes a place where someone feels drawn to, and can disappear into for a moment. They don’t have to feel what I felt, I actually find it interesting how everyone interprets my work in their own way.

 

And looking ahead, what are you currently working towards?

My focus is always on creating something that feels truly my own, developing my artistic voice and refining my techniques to express that more clearly. Something I would really love to explore next is working on a much larger scale, on canvases of two metres or more, to create a more immersive experience.