City Nights 1983

Samia Halaby made this painting, City Nights, by layering little squares of colour. It’s like she’s built the painting from the ground up, bit by bit. I like the way the paint isn't shy. You can see the marks, the edges of each little patch. The surface has a real texture, like a mosaic. The dark shades make the bright colours pop, like streetlights in the dark. Look at the way she’s placed that red square near the top – it’s like a little spark. It’s not just about what’s there, but how she puts it there. Halaby’s work reminds me of Agnes Martin. But where Martin is all about quiet grids, Halaby feels more alive, more like the real world. Both have this feeling of building something through careful placement and attention to the surface. It’s a reminder that art isn’t just about answers, it’s about questions.