Rebecca DiDomenico’s newest BMOCA exhibit explores the universe of darkness
By Juanita Hurtado Huerfano
Originally aired February 4, 2025
Dimmed lights and obsidian walls welcome attendants to the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art’s newest exhibit, “A Dazzle of Darkness”. One corner displays glittering sand with black relaxation stones laying on top. A short video of Water Protectors in the Oceti Sakowin camp using mirrored shields to protect frontline protesters at the Standing Rock protest is displayed next to it. A ramp in the center of the room leads to a black engraved painting celebrating the female body.
This is the 31-artist exhibit curator Rebcecca DiDomenico organized for the museum as a way to look at darkness through ecological, feminist, Indigenous, activist, spiritual and astronomical perspectives among others.
Traces is made of found silver-plated platters at 36 x 20 x 8 inches made by Jaydan Moore (2024), donated by the artist and Ornamentum Gallery. (Lily Wright//Radio1190)
Nigredo (resurrection at the end of the line) is made of rocks, coral, shells, resin, molds, seaweed, driftwood, sand, dog toys, horseshoe crabs, turtle shell, pods, antique spinning spools, at 48 x 60 x 66 inches. Made by Rebecca DiDomenico in 2025 and donated by the DiDomenico and Robinschon Gallery. (Lily Wright//Radio1190)
[Another close up of] Nigredo (resurrection at the end of the line) made from rocks, coral, shells, resin molds, seaweed, driftwood, sand, dog toys, horseshoe crabs, turtle shell, pods, antique spinning spools at 48 x 60 x 66 inches. Made by Rebecca DiDomenico and donated by DiDomenico and Robischon Gallery. (Lily Wright//Radio1190)
[Close up of] Nigredo (resurrection at the end of the line) made from rocks, coral, shells, resin molds, seaweed, driftwood, sand, dog toys, horseshoe crabs, turtle shell, pods, antique spinning spools at 48 x 60 x 66 inches. Made by Rebecca DiDomenic and donated by DiDomenico and Robischon Gallery. (Lily Wright//Radio1190)
[Close up of a turtle shell in] Nigredo (resurrection at the end of the line) is made of rocks, coral, shells, resin, molds, seaweed, driftwood, sand, dog toys, horseshoe crabs, turtle shell, pods, antique spinning spools, at 48 x 60 x 66 inches. Made by Rebecca DiDomenico in 2025 and donated by the DiDomenico and Robinschon Gallery. (Lily Wright//Radio1190)
Inheritance (Baluwessi crystal 3 in 1), 2022, made from melted lead crystal 3-in-1 cake punch bowl, and chip and dip platter by Baluwessi, silver nitrate, lacquer, at 13.5 x 20.2 inches. Made by Katherine Vetne and donated by Vetne and Catherine Clark Gallery. (Lily Wright//Radio1190)
IMMORTALITY JOURNEY #41, 2022, is metal on fiberglass at 20.5 x 10.5 x 6 inches made by Halim Al Karim and donated by Karim and Robischon Gallery. (Lily Wright//Radio1190)
Roger Reuitmann’s, Prometheus, 2020, is a mirrored stainless steel and white concrete structure at 101 x 28 x 36 inches. Donated to the museum by the artist. (Lily Wright//Radio1190)
Importance of Darkness is a 22 piece set, all 6 x 4 inches, painted with gouache on paper made by Ash Eliza Williams (2024) donated by K Contemporary Gallery (Lily Wright//Radio1190)
Two people view Pleiades, 2024, made from white stoneware, silver luster, and silver leaf at 21.5 x 21.5 x 2 inches made by Kim Dickey. Donated by Dickey and Robischon Gallery. (Lily Wright//Radio1190)
Dark Matter Series: God Save Abortion, 2024, is a mized media piece at 48 x 36 x 2 inches made by Nadya Tolokonnikova donated by Tolokonnikova and Turner Carroll Gallery. (Lily Wright//Radio1190)
Two people view Arc ZERO: Eclipse (Lake Tyrell) photographed by James Tapscott in 2023 printed on LightJet Duratrans at 72 x 48 inches. Donated by Tapscott. (Lily Wright//Radio1190)
“With the dark times we were and are living in, I really needed to explore this process of light and darkness and the duality within it,” DiDomenico said during the exhibit’s opening on Jan. 23, 2025. “You know, like in physics everything comes in pairs, to see the stars we need darkness.”
She developed the idea during the pandemic and started looking for artists who worked with darkness and mixed mediums in what she described as “almost serendipity”. The empowering exhibit now is composed of 34 pieces, including Cannuspa Hanska Lurger’s 2016 “Mirror ShieldProject,” Jerry Wingrent’s 2005 “Resting Stones,” Nadya Tolokonnikov’s 2024 “Dark Matter Series: God Save Abortion,” Jaydan Moore’s 2024 “Traces” and Rebecca DiDomenico’s 2025 “Nigredo”.
Rebecca DiDomenico posed next to her sculpture, “Nigredo”. 2025. (Lily Wright//Radio1190)
DiDomenico explained that Dazzle of Darkness is about activating people’s consciousness, inviting them to redefine what art does and explore multifaceted concepts like light and darkness.
“ My mother, when we were little, she took us to see all kinds of art and we were little bratty kids and we would say, Um, I don’t like that. It’s just a piece of fabric,” DiDomenico said. “And she would say, it doesn’t matter if you like it or not. It has nothing to do with whether you like it. What it has to do with is, did it stretch your mind? Did it stretch your consciousness? And so, you know, ultimately, that’s what I hope for.”
The exhibit will be available for the public until May 4th. Dazzle of Darkness will also feature a poetry reading on March 20th, and a keynote address by author Michael Meade on April 4th.
