November 13 – January 9

Opening Reception, Saturday, November 13 from 6 - 9 PM

Punchline: the final phrase or sentence of a joke or story, providing the humor or some other crucial element.

 The Real Tinsel and curator Siara Berry are thrilled to present Punching Bag Punchline- an exhibition that has no choice but to take the hit and with patience, make it to the punchline.

But like any good punchline, the audience must experience the full story in order to understand what makes the punchline work- that little reward at the end that makes all the punches worth it. The featured works strike a balance between presenting its story, whether it be by image, process, or form, and offer an uneasy giggle at the end to bring the work full circle. Each work hones in on the fundamentals of art-making - positive and negative space, light and dark - as well as the fundamentals of life - soft and hard, cruel and sweet. 

 Artist Ray Chi captures this nuance with his cut-through panels; letting the material’s layered and complex patterning take center stage. In process, the work is a laborious effort in rationalization- strategically cutting through areas with respect to the material; allowing both the vacancies and chipped fragments to coexist. Brian Schneider’s section-built paintings capture opposition by way of bright colors and loose gestures; a funny interpretation of recreational violence. Chase Travaille, an Arkansas-based ceramicist, presents to the viewer a studded club lying in wait and charged with potential energy. In a moment of dark hilarity, Travaille adorns the club with a bow- a sweet moment in the face of the inevitable.