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Perception is a central issue for David Reed. By inserting his sensual paintings into films, placing his works into historical spaces, or drawing on references from popular culture, he evokes a complex, contextualized response to imagery that is not immediately recognizable. In his 1996 exhibition in Graz, Austria, Reed was inspired by the Mirror Room of the Neue Galerie am Landesmuseum to examine his work through the lens of the Dracula myth. While walking under the crystal chandeliers, he made the connection between the flashes of spectral light (color everywhere but the source unseen) and the vampire who cannot be reflected in a mirror.

Reed's question—Is looking at an abstract painting similar to a vampire's not reflecting in a mirror?— invites viewers to explore abstract painting's "non-reflective" nature. For the exhibition, Reed selected a series of works in which color-saturated brushstrokes are painted on a white ground. The light source appears to emanate from the canvas, much as a computer, television, or movie screen glows with a hypnotic, otherworldly light. “Since we see this light on or through machines, it seems beyond the human, even immortal,” says Reed, who hints that the visual affects of abstract painting may have similarities to the vampire's powers—we are seduced and mesmerized by the arresting, yet elusive, images.

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