Traditionally seen as an activity of childhood, for enjoyment and recreation rather than for serious or practical purpose, play is also at the heart of artistic practice. Processes and values that inform play – making, taking apart and crafting back together, transforming space, and improvising – can be equally applied to the process of artistic creation in the studio. Serious intent, however, defines artists engaging in the realm of play.

Artists Chris Bogia, Damien Davis, Kat Chamberlin, and Ronny Quevedo provide tools to embolden the viewer through the act of play to think differently about issues of gender, race, and class. For Amanda Valdez and Julien Gardair, play with the materiality of paint and cloth instructs an awareness of the mutability of shapes and ideas. For all six artists, embracing the forms of childhood play that encourage experimentation, chance, failure, and humor provides a roadmap into better ways of being in the world.

BRIC, is an art center located in downtown Brooklyn, New York. The show Serious Play was curated by Elizabeth Ferrer and Jenny Gerow and included artists Chris Bogia, Damien Davis, Kat Chamberlin, Ronny Quevedo, Amanda Valdez and Julien Gardair.