The Dark Art Emporium—DTLB’s heart for all things dark arts, crafts, and creatives—has brought on guest curator Cristina Rodriguez for their October group show, “Nocturnal Dysphoria.”
Exploring “eerie experiences with the night” with an emphasis on what happens “when our unconscious minds slip into another realm of reality we don’t quite understand,” the nearly 15-artist show proves one thing. And that is the fact that the Dark Art Emporium is unlike any other art space in Long Beach.
Dark Art Emporium’s ‘Nocturnal Dysphoria’
Dark Art Emporium‘s gallery director, Lauren Martin, has long emphasized both a personal but global approach to how the Emporium operates adn displays. There is a larger understanding that, like all art, the Emporium will not be everyone’s cup of tea. But on a much deeper, visceral level, the Emporium can be a space of beauty and psychological exploration.
“Nocturnal Dysphoria” is no exception, with curator Cristina seizing the opportunity to reflect this ideal when approached to curate the show.
“This show commemorates what dark art, as a whole, represents to me,” Cristina said. “It is beautifully strange, intense, disturbing, and despairing. As the title suggests, I associate these emotions mostly with nightly activities, specifically sleep. And the unconscious mind. What do we mean when we talk about nightmares, night terrors, insomnia, sleep paralysis… The interpretations are limitless, and I look forward to seeing how the title inspires the way people look at the exhibit.”
The works of Kris Linquist [left] and Dyland Garret Smith [right] will be on display at “Nocturnal Dysphoria.”
Who are the artists being featured in ‘Nocturnal Dysphoria’?
From Vespertine Barroco—who had a solo show, “The Forbidden Experiment of the Night Womb,” back at the Emporium in February—to New Jersey native and watercolor master Hilary Martin, this exhibit showcases fourteen stellar artists of the dark:
- Vespertine Barroco
- Hilary Martin
- Kris Lindquist
- Fran de anda
- Carmen Lop
- German Diaz
- Kellie Krueger
- Dylan Garret Smith
- Larry Talavera
- Carlos Cordero
- Misael Urquico
- Carlos Gronlier
- La Dama Luna
- Kristen Kay Ferrell
Dark Art Emporium is located at 427 E. 1st St. “Nocturnal Dysphoria” runs through October.
