Introduction to the Dark Arts

With Halloween lurking around the corner we found ourselves wondering why people are so attracted to the dark. Why do we love to hear scary stories and flock to scary movies? Our theory: fear speaks directly to our primal selves. Evolution has ingrained in our minds a fascination with what we perceive as dangerous. So think of these ten hauntingly beautiful prints as stimulants to your animal senses.

Culprit by Roger Ballen

	Gust of Wind by Laura Bell Laura Bell's Gust of Wind captures the mysterious moment when a candle goes out, leaving us in the dark. Is it just us, or do the beautiful arabesques of smoke threaten to coalesce into a phantom?
	Lillies, Corolla by Daniel Seung Lee We know that lilies are the flowers most often associated with funerals, but the improvable black of Daniel Seung Lee's Lilies, Corolla takes them a step further into melancholia.
	Jake by Jacob Escobedo We find our minds drifting as we look closely at the fantastic details of Jacob Escobedo's Jake. Is this wolf a dream? And is the print's name a clue this is how the artist sees himself?
	A Theory of All Things #2111 by Dana Miller The mystery of Dana Miller's A Theory of All Things #2111 is only deepened by her explanation that "the camera sees things that I can't see, especially up close, and anomalies and phenomena occur that I can't explain or imagine."
	Cemetery 5km Outside of Quilali by Kevin Kunishi Kevin Kunishi's Cemetery 5km Outside of Quilali reminds us that some horrors are not mythical, yet the bright beauty of his photograph also reminds us why Latin America was the birthplace of magical realism.
	Hulk and Powerpuff Girls by Amy Stein Lest we get too lost in the darkness, Amy Stein's Hulk and Powerpuff Girls are here to remind us that Halloween is also a carnivalesque holiday in which we get to dress up and act out our fantasies.
	Blackford Forest by Laura Bell Laura Bell's Blackford Forest brings to life the forests in the eeriest fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. We hate to tell you that it doesn't seem like you'll find your trail of crumbs in that moody fog.
	Newfoundland 7 by Carrie Marill And we wrap up our journey with Carrie Marill's Newfoundland 7, which reminds us that the collective name for a group of crows is a murder.