Monique Prieto‘s new paintings radiate magnetic simplicity. The abstractions in her elegantly spare show, “Luster,” glow as though lit from within. Each of the four diptychs currently on view at Chimento Contemporary features a pair of organic shapes, one on each panel. Arranged like mirror images, the members of each duo are roughly similar in form, slightly different in color. Rich black grounds diverge from Prieto’s usual light canvases; the enigmatic figures’ velvety textured jewel tones are deeper than her typical pastel hues. Separated by a narrow band of white wall, these diptychs make you feel as though your eyes are playing tricks on you. The contrast between black panel and white wall, and the shapes’ disparity in tint, give the impression of one eye needing to adjust to different lighting after having been covered. Vaguely resembling inkblots, minerals, figures, or body parts like bones or brains, Prieto’s primordial contours possess a totemic austerity that gives way to their lush inner fields of brushstrokes. Evoking stained glass, these sparse, luminous pictures offer meditative pause in a digital world, a refreshing antidote to society’s superfluities.

Chimento Contemporary
622 South Anderson Street, Space 105
Los Angeles, CA 90023
Show runs through Oct. 28