Night can either be fun (the carefree frolic described in R.E.M.'s “Nightswimming”) or scary (like the vampire-filled 30 Days of Night), or somewhere in between, like beloved '90s Nickelodeon series Are You Afraid of the Dark? (Plus there's the “Night” that's in M. Night Shyamalan's middle name, which is on a classification by itself.)
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This is the exact dichotomy explored by “In Love With Night,” an exhibit opening tonight at Guggenheim Gallery at Chapman University. We haven't seen it yet, but it definitely sounds like it could be worth a look. There's work on display from married comic book creators Jill Thompson (Scary Godmother) and writer Brian Azzarello (100 Bullets), said to “demonstrate an understanding of our secret fears and desire.” Eduardo Risso, the uniquely noir artist on Azzarello's 100 Bullets, is also represented.
It promises to be a diverse exhibit, too, with a video installation from Chloe Piene called “Blackmouth” and artist collective Department of Nocturnal Affairs chronicling disappearing wildlife in LA–spooky in an entirely different way. The Guggenheim Gallery is free, and open noon to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays; closed on Sundays. Free.
