At the intersection of cinema, sculpture and pure imagination sits one of the most delightfully strange corners of the art world: video art. Part movie, part moving painting, part “what exactly did I just watch?”, video art doesn’t ask viewers to sit still; it asks them to wander, question, laugh, tilt their heads and occasionally wonder if the piece is staring back. It’s an art form that celebrates time, movement, glitches, sound and the unexpected, often transforming simple screens into portals for emotion, memory and play.
In short, it’s art that refuses to be framed.
That energy is exactly what visitors will find at the Beverly Arts Center (BAC), 2407 W. 111th St. in Chicago, where the exhibition “Video for Early Nights” is lighting up the galleries through the end of the calendar year. The show, curated by visual artist Nathan Peck, will host an opening reception on Friday, Dec. 5, inviting the public to explore nearly a half dozen video art projects.
“Video is working its way into a lot of shows, and that’s a good thing,” Peck said. He added that the timing of the year played a role in shaping the exhibition. “Late fall, early winter is the perfect time for a video art show. With the nightfall coming sooner, the complexity of video art designs really stands out.” Peck emphasized that the exhibition is meant to show people the possibilities available through the video world.
The exhibit brings together six distinct artists, each reshaping moving-image art in their own way.
Peck, a visual artist, Department Chair of Art and Design at Saint Xavier University (SXU) and co-founder of the Chicago Art Department (CAD), contributes work rooted in visual experimentation and community-driven creative practice. His pieces often merge technical precision with emotional resonance, creating imagery that feels handcrafted even as it moves.
Peck is joined by fellow SXU professor Nat Soti, a visual artist and intermedia practitioner whose work spans video, graphic arts, sound and writing. Soti also co-founded CAD, and his pieces often explore layered storytelling, remix culture and the evolving relationship between technology and identity. His installations tend to vibrate with energy as sound blends through visuals and visuals bounce between narrative and abstraction.
Longtime collaborator and designer Justine Light brings a deeply personal dimension to the exhibition. For “Video for Early Nights,” she and Peck worked together on four new video pieces, drawing on her three decades of experience in theater and opera design. Light’s career has taken her from her native Chicago to San Francisco, New York, Baltimore, Paris, London, Bali and Prague before she eventually settled in Washington, D.C., where she earned two Helen Hayes nominations and a Mary Goldwater Award.
“Each place allowed me to experience new styles of performing and designing and to incorporate it into my creations,” Light said. Known for her imaginative approach to historical fashion, she describes her work as often coloring outside the lines. While she thrives on collaboration, Light is always searching for fresh ways to tell stories, whether through fashion, live performance or video-based art.
Matthew Bulter, an intermedia and digital artist associated with the University of Iowa, brings a conceptual edge to the show. Working at the University of Iowa Libraries Digital Scholarship and Publishing Studio, he immerses himself in digital humanities and archives, transforming information systems into art. Bulter’s projects such as dATAPLOT and Speaking Binary translate code, metadata and digital structures into visual experiences, inviting viewers to reconsider what data can look like when set free.
Also featured is Chicago-based interdisciplinary visual artist Juliann Wang, a performer and designer known for multi-sensorial work blending visual art, sound, music and dance. Wang creates installations, performances and visual pieces often using delicate materials and incorporating Eastern philosophy, evoking contemplative experiences for viewers. Her work explores themes of nature, existence, communication and harmony, and she has presented projects at SXU and through community-based programs.
Chicago-based visual artist and sculptor Edyta Stepien rounds out the lineup. She also teaches in the Art Department at SXU. Stepien is known for immersive installations that blend natural and synthetic worlds. Her large-scale video and motion design pieces, often atmospheric and tactile, create spaces where organic and mechanical elements overlap. She described video art as “a language without words” and “a different way of learning.” Stepien’s portfolio includes collaborations with the Chicago History Museum, the Chicago Architecture Foundation and several major public art commissions.
Together, these six artists transform the Beverly Arts Center into a playground for moving images, reimagining what video art can say and how it can make viewers feel. With its mix of innovation, storytelling and visual surprise, the exhibition promises a fresh look at an art form that is always in motion.
The show runs through the end of the year, offering visitors a chance to step out of the ordinary and into a world where screens come alive. The Dec. 5 opening reception invites art lovers, the video curious and anyone ready for a creative jolt to experience the work firsthand.