Daniel Gibson is so good with color that a group of his paintings are almost surreal in their vivid richness. Is life like this? Does nature give you this much overwhelming lush and vibrant color? Sometimes we use terms like psychedelic or surreal as if you need mescaline and DMT to enjoy the works, but Gibson just gives you exactly what you need with just the use of color. His land is strong and subtle, able to grow and resist the desert heat with a bountiful abundance. Gibson has always played with this idea of survival within harsh conditions, and whether we read this as the simple flora and fauna he grew up near in the deserts of California near the Mexico border or as more of a symbolic conversation to the journeys of migration and the resilience of trying to find a better life and way, there is something here in terms of being almost surreal in his approach. It has to be overwhelming to the senses because understanding life and the world around us is, indeed, overwheling and hopefully, in the best of times, too beautiful to comprehend. —Evan Pricco
Nazarian / Curcio will present Gibson’s Chasing the Black Bird through December 21, 2024.
