Heading out to the suburbs this weekend, my companion noted that the Lab at Belmar was like an oasis in an otherwise obstensibly art-absent arena.

Located in the Belmar shopping complex, a spralling outdoor center located on the grave of the former Villa Italia Mall (goodbye, 80s style mall centers!), the Lab offers a clean, sharp space with often intriguing, art-forward exhibitions.

Showing through August 31st, the Lab currently features a trio of screens showing silent films of the 1910s in one room, with “Bedroom Paintings” in the other.

The silent films are entrancing in their quiet movement. Capturing travelouges, cultural snapshots, nature and industrial pursuits, it is intriguing to see the medium of film in its early days. Men pouring concrete and constructing massive girders for buildings were the topics of interest- it was interesting to think of this in contrast to the giant robots exploding across screens today.

The Bedroom Paintings are designed for immediate viewing pleasure, much like the films. Reacting to the 20th century (and sometimes current!) notion that for art to be “Art,” it had to top a previous movement or creation in a way, the bedroom painters created works that could be pleasing to the eye, celebrating colors and forms. There were several I could see hanging in my dream bedroom.