Born To Kill - Virtual Opening

We are proud to announce our first virtual gallery opening of the show, Born To Kill, featuring artists John Sebelius and Chris King. Tune in to the premiere at 7pm on April 30th. We encourage you to support our local partners and pick up some carry out and adult beverages, or cook up a feast at home. You can expect some of the best highlights from the comedian's stand-up performances and we will do our best to make the content PG-13 as we edit out swear words, etc however the content may be mature.

Born to Kill (2019) : An interactive Installation and series of collaborative paintings by Chris King and John Sebelius

Born to Kill is a two-person show with Louisiana artist, Chris King and Kansas artist, John Sebelius, that includes over fifty portraits of legendary comedians, twenty-five done by each artist. Following a series of politically motivated work, King and Sebelius aimed to create something a bit lighter, a show that would unite their audience through laughter. The artists exchanged stories and videos of various comedians that impacted their lives from childhood to present. The two continued their collaborative painting process, shipping pieces back and forth to each other from Louisiana to Kansas as they developed the work and overall theme, that for this exhibition, explores how comedy and what people perceive as "funny" changes over time. In addition to the portrait paintings, the pair has also constructed an installation piece in the form of a small Comedy Club, with a brick wall, curtains, microphone, and sign that says, "Born to Kill" in the corner of the Gallery. The piece expands on their collaborative techniques that invite chance and improvisation into their work, by including viewers to participate by taking the stage and telling a joke or story to the gallery audience, mirroring the unpredictability of comedy itself.

Unfortunately the recent pandemic crisis has caused delay of the social and interactive elements of an actual gallery exhibition. However, King and Sebelius have worked with the Cider Gallery to create their first virtual exhibit. John explains, “We are hoping to take the work to an even broader audience virtually, despite our inability to gather together at this time. It’s during times like these that humor can help the most, providing a positive connection to our audience through laughter. “

Viewers and fans of the show are encouraged to record their jokes with their phone and post it to the Instagram: #borntokillshow