Promise of a better world 2011

José Dávila made this piece, 'Promise of a better world', from bricks and neon, and right away the tension gets me thinking. Bricks, those humble modules of construction, stacked in such careful, repetitive courses. Look how their rough, earthy texture meets that smooth, relentless white light. It's like seeing something ancient dressed up in the future. That neon rectangle, slicing through the solidity of the wall, reminds me of Dan Flavin. But where Flavin used light to dematerialize space, here, Dávila uses it to frame and question the very idea of structure and support. That one little dark circle on the top right brick makes me feel like this solid brick is being turned on its head. It's a promise, sure, but also a question mark etched in light. And in art, like in life, it's the questions that keep us building.