
Reception: Friday, April 21, 5:30–7:00 pm
In Praise of Shadows presents a selection of works on paper by acclaimed 20th century and contemporary artists in dialogue with the Japanese author Junichiro Tanizaki, who wrote a seminal essay of the same title in 1933. Tanizaki’s subtle but powerful observations on how darkness can exude beauty and sumptuousness conjure a visual world that subverts the historical archetyping of light as ethereal, good and angelic, and dark as brooding and somewhat devilish. Bringing together works by Belkis Ayon, Kate Breakey, Kottie Gaydos, Louise Nevelson, Kiuko Saito, Hito Steyerl, Dox Thrash, and others, the exhibition provides an in-depth look at the various uses of darkness in art from the early 20th century until the present day.