Sara Tucker - 'Sonder'

This awareness helps to shatter the illusion of being the sole protagonist in our own narrative, revealing a world alive with countless individual stories unfolding simultaneously.

Recognizing and reflecting on the concept of sonder fosters a deep sense of connection. It reminds us that beneath surface differences, politics, religions, belief systems and worldviews, we share the universal experience of navigating life's joys and struggles, all for the first and only time we have here. This shared humanity becomes the foundation for empathy. By acknowledging the intricate and unique lives and stories of others, we move beyond superficial and sweeping judgments and cultivate genuine understanding. "Sonder" transforms strangers into fellow explorers of the world, enriching our interactions and broadening our capacity for compassion.

I have taken the opportunity to ask a simple question. “What place in the natural world, the earth we all share, holds a distinctive memory for you?” Before you is a collection of paintings inspired by people that have answered that question, each with various degrees of impact on my own life. They range from complete strangers all the way to those that share the deepest and most personal of bonds between two people. Here you will find a series of different landscapes, each with a name tied to it in the title of the piece. Each name represents a person as real and as human as ourselves. Each individual that has their own story, their own pain, their own love, their own accomplishments, their own losses, their own fears, dreams, hopes, memories and connections that extend like branches on an ever-growing tree. A husband. A friend. A mother and father. An interlocutor, a biological anthropologist, a TV personality and survivalist, and other very unique humans whose lives have randomly or intentionally intertwined with mine, and now through this exhibit, each other’s.

My hope, by bringing a tiny portion of these individuals lives into my own story by putting their landscape onto a canvas, is that I can remind the viewers of these pieces to think outside of themselves. Think outside of YOURSELF. Remind yourself that each individual you pass at a red light, each person walking behind you or standing next to you as you read this statement, each light you see from the window of an apartment as you make your way home, is a person just as alive and full of stories and experiences as you are. When we remember this, and genuinely consider the value of our one commonality, being human, we can all strive to talk less and sincerely listen more.

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