In this video we attend the opening reception of artist Christina Quarles' exhibition The Ground Glows Black, on view at Hauser & Wirth Downtown Los Angeles from February 24 to May 3, 2026. The show presents her latest works inspired by the displacement she felt after historic Los Angeles wildfires destroyed her home in early 2025.Known for her dynamic manipulation of paint, Quarles intensifies her approach here with denser, more frenetic paintings featuring kinetic planes of color, texture, and pattern. These depict intertwined human forms amid overlapping architectural, digital, and cosmic spaces, exploring themes of instability, resilience, and simultaneous realities.She employs improvisatory marks in acrylic, layered with digital stenciling via Adobe Illustrator and vinyl plotting. A highlight is Glow, After (2026), her largest modular painting, designed for reconfiguration during the show. The exhibition also debuts five new charcoal works on paper created through erasure and cutting.Gallery modifications, including covered windows and pigmented columns, echo the works' black gradients and fire aftermath.
Christina Quarles: The Ground Glows Black / Hauser & Wirth Downtown Los Angeles. Vernissage, February 23, 2026.
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