Michael Barrett: Punch Line

Curator. San Francisco Arts Commission Galleries: Grove St. Window Installation Site. October 2009

Punch Line is performed in an environment that simulates the ups and downs of the battles we wage upon ourselves while struggling to achieve a goal. In this work, the environment is a boxing ring, in which the right-handed performer, artist Michael Barrett, wages a fight with his alter ego, a left-handed boxing glove. Each of the four performances follows the time frame of a boxing match; three, three-minute rounds, with a one-minute intermission in between each round. The goal of the performer is to control the balance of the platform while attempting to paint a straight line. Each time the performer attempts to paint a line, he is subjected to the pain of being punched in the face. As the struggle continues, there is a sense of balance between the two opponents that is never achieved.

This installation and performance is presented as part of Immediate Future, featuring works by the recipients of the 2009 Murphy and Cadogan Fellowships in the Fine Arts. This exhibition provides a focused glimpse at what is being produced by promising artists within regional graduate programs. The annual awards, sponsored by The San Francisco Foundation, assist art students in funding their final year of graduate studies. In partnership with the TSFF Foundation, the SFAC Gallery is committed to supporting works by outstanding Bay Area art students through the annual fellowship exhibition. The jurors for this year’s awards were Betti-Sue Hertz, Ellen Oh, Isis Rodriguez and Meg Shiffler.