Royal/T Opening November 20th

Seldom have I seen contemporary work by an artist working in pastel - - it seems like an oxymoron! The medium is fiendishly difficult but the results have such a fresh intensity. Kam works with live models and the poses she selects are ambiguous and slightly disturbing: I think of artists ranging from Eric Fischl to Philip Pearlstein as reference points. However, Kam's work has a certain "Mean Girls" quality that differentiates it. In a time when so many artists are working with a provisional aesthetic, it's refreshing to see work by a contemporary artist who has mastered the craft of art-making.
JoAnne Northrup: Katie and Drew Gibson Chief Curator, San Jose Museum of Art