{"id":2037184,"date":"2026-07-10T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2037184"},"modified":"2026-07-10T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T21:00:00","slug":"the-longtail-of-incarceration-unfolds-in-gil-batles-surreal-narratives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2037184","title":{"rendered":"The Longtail of Incarceration Unfolds in Gil Batle\u2019s Surreal Narratives"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content prose-colossal max-w-none\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-style-default entry-header is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-fe9cc265 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"colo-post-featured-image wp-block-post-featured-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1477\" height=\"1048\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/batle-1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"a white plate with a blue painting of a fish jumping from the water with a bird cage in its mouth\" style=\"object-fit:cover\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cBulador II\u201d (2025), acrylic on ceramic plate, 6 1\/2 x 9 1\/4 inches. All images courtesy of Ricco\/Maresca, shared with permission<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group post-title is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0bc941e6 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h1 class=\"alignfull wp-block-post-title\">The Longtail of Incarceration Unfolds in Gil Batle\u2019s Surreal Narratives<\/h1>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-meta is-layout-flex wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-07-10T11:03:05-05:00\">July 10, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"taxonomy-category wp-block-post-terms\"><a class=\"category-art\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/art\/\" rel=\"tag\">Art<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/author\/gebert\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"wp-block-post-author-name__link\">Grace Ebert<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-share-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing has-visible-labels has-icon-color is-style-logos-only is-layout-flex wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-is-layout-flex\">\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-facebook has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2026%2F07%2Fgil-batle-porcelain-plate-paintings%2F&amp;title=The%20Longtail%20of%20Incarceration%20Unfolds%20in%20Gil%20Batle%27s%20Surreal%20Narratives\" aria-label=\"Share\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tShare\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-mail has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#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\" aria-label=\"Email\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tEmail\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><button class=\"simplefavorite-button preset\" data-postid=\"475745\" data-siteid=\"1\" data-groupid=\"1\" data-favoritecount=\"0\"><i class=\"sf-icon-bookmark\"><\/i>Bookmark<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The lively flora and fauna of a tiny Filipino island commingle with harrowing memories of California prisons in the surreal works of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/gilbatle\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Gil Batle<\/a>. Entirely self-taught, Batle honed his skills while incarcerated over the course of 25 years, drawing and eventually tattooing in a clandestine practice. Today, he\u2019s immigrated to his parents\u2019 native country, where he continues to reflect on the decades he spent in confinement.<\/p>\n<p>Batle\u2019s <em>Double Life<\/em> is a new body of work that explores these dual experiences. On white porcelain plates, the artist renders strange, unsettling compositions in which violence and a desire for freedom pervade every inch. Bird cages\u2014common symbols for incarceration\u2014 are aplenty, while chains, barbs, and shivs haunt the scenes. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/batle-5.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475745\" title=\"\u201cBarbirusa\u201d (2025), acrylic on ceramic plate, 9 x 12 inches\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cBarbirusa\u201d (2025), acrylic on ceramic plate, 9 x 12 inches\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cBarbirusa\u201d (2025), acrylic on ceramic plate, 9 x 12 inches\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1073\" height=\"797\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/batle-5.jpg\" alt=\"a white ceramic plate with two boars and tusks curled up with barbed wire\" class=\"wp-image-475754\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cBarbirusa\u201d (2025), acrylic on ceramic plate, 9 x 12 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Utilizing such a commonplace, fragile, and even prized material, Batle sets a poignant backdrop for considering his blue acrylic paintings. The delicate porcelain both nods to the precarity and breakable nature of life, while also symbolizing traditional ideas of civility and propriety. Juxtaposing these domestic objects with scenes rife with struggle and brutality offers uncanny insight into one of humanity\u2019s continually barbarous acts.<\/p>\n<p><em>Double Life<\/em> is on view through August 21 at New York\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/riccomaresca.viewingrooms.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ricco\/Maresca<\/a>, a contemporary gallery representing outsider, self-taught, and folk artists.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/batle-7.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475745\" title=\"\u201cBird Catcher\u201d (2026), acrylic on ceramic plate, 7 3\/4 x 12 inches\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cBird Catcher\u201d (2026), acrylic on ceramic plate, 7 3\/4 x 12 inches\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cBird Catcher\u201d (2026), acrylic on ceramic plate, 7 3\/4 x 12 inches\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1894\" height=\"1240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/batle-7.jpg\" alt=\"a white porcelain plate painted with a soldier surrounded by birds and cages\" class=\"wp-image-475756\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cBird Catcher\u201d (2026), acrylic on ceramic plate, 7 3\/4 x 12 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/batle-8.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475745\" title=\"\u201cTethered\u201d (2024), acrylic on ceramic plate, 8 x 8 inches\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cTethered\u201d (2024), acrylic on ceramic plate, 8 x 8 inches\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cTethered\u201d (2024), acrylic on ceramic plate, 8 x 8 inches\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1314\" height=\"1295\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/batle-8.jpg\" alt=\"a white ceramic plate with a blue painting of a tree cut near the base with a rope tied to the ground surrounded by a moat\" class=\"wp-image-475757\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cTethered\u201d (2024), acrylic on ceramic plate, 8 x 8 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/batle-6.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475745\" title=\"\u201cThe Butcher\u201d (2025), acrylic on ceramic plate, 10 3\/4 x 8 3\/4 inches\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cThe Butcher\u201d (2025), acrylic on ceramic plate, 10 3\/4 x 8 3\/4 inches\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cThe Butcher\u201d (2025), acrylic on ceramic plate, 10 3\/4 x 8 3\/4 inches\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1246\" height=\"1498\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/batle-6.jpg\" alt=\"a white ceramic plate with a blue painting of a headless figure and a headless pig. the pig is handing the man his head\" class=\"wp-image-475755\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cThe Butcher\u201d (2025), acrylic on ceramic plate, 10 3\/4 x 8 3\/4 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/batle-4.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475745\" title=\"\u201cTattooed Pig\u201d (2025), acrylic on ceramic plate, 9 x 9 inches\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cTattooed Pig\u201d (2025), acrylic on ceramic plate, 9 x 9 inches\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cTattooed Pig\u201d (2025), acrylic on ceramic plate, 9 x 9 inches\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1993\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/batle-4.jpg\" alt=\"a white ceramic plate with blue acrylic of a tattooed pig\" class=\"wp-image-475753\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cTattooed Pig\u201d (2025), acrylic on ceramic plate, 9 x 9 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/batle-2.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475745\" title=\"\u201cRice Field Rocker\u201d (2024), acrylic on ceramic plate, 11 x 14 1\/2 inches\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cRice Field Rocker\u201d (2024), acrylic on ceramic plate, 11 x 14 1\/2 inches\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cRice Field Rocker\u201d (2024), acrylic on ceramic plate, 11 x 14 1\/2 inches\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1505\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/batle-2.jpg\" alt=\"a white ceramic plate with a blue painting of a man on a bull with its hooves nailed to a large rocker\" class=\"wp-image-475759\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cRice Field Rocker\u201d (2024), acrylic on ceramic plate, 11 x 14 1\/2 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"after-entry\" 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article<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cBulador II\u201d (2025), acrylic on ceramic plate, 6 1\/2 x 9 1\/4 inches. All images courtesy of Ricco\/Maresca, shared with permission The Longtail of Incarceration Unfolds in Gil Batle\u2019s Surreal Narratives July 10, 2026 Art Grace Ebert Share Email Bookmark The lively flora and fauna of a tiny Filipino island commingle with harrowing memories of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,270],"class_list":["post-2037184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-thisiscolossal-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2037184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2037184"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2037184\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2037184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2037184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2037184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}