Collection: Day or Night it Looks Like Night, organized by Liliana Herrera (online exhibition)

About the exhibition

The pieces in this exhibition were selected in a moment of uncertainty. The pandemic has affected each of us differently, but what can perhaps be agreed upon is that its longevity has worn on our collective morale. This was certainly the undercurrent of this grouping. 

Dorian Reid’s Day or Night it Looks Like Night, is a depiction of September 9, 2020, a day that those of us in the Bay Area remember all too well: the day we awoke to smoky red skies caused by surrounding wildfires. The ominous tones on the canvas continue to be relevant today. 

When viewed from afar, Serena Scott’s calligraphy, in its repetitive form, appears to take on the form of a tally of days gone by, or a countdown, if you will—but a countdown to what?

Despair, however, is usually followed by hope. 

Julio Del Rio’s piece evokes the feel of dividing cells in a vibrant fourth dimension. Likewise, the works by Peter Harris and Shantae Robinson seem to gain momentum—on the verge of shaping something larger and more robust. 

I interpret the works by Carlota Rodriguez and Evelyn Davis as flags of future, unknown nations. Additionally, they resemble aerial landscapes akin to those by Bay Area abstract expressionist and figurative artist Richard Diebenkorn. 

Individually, these are visually strong works that represent an interiority that is at once nascent yet fully developed. Together, they hold a quiet strength and serve as testaments to an abstract, ambiguous world—one filled with moments of gloom, but also of hope and growth. 

About the organizer

Liliana Herrera joined NIAD in September 2021. This online exhibition marks the beginning of her transition to the Exhibitions team. She has worked at various art institutions in the Bay Area for almost fifteen years. She is completing the doctoral program in History of Art and Architecture at Harvard University.