“Pajama Party with Murder Holes” by Trish Tillman.

Now permanently located on the second floor of 1019 7th Street NW, the entrance to the new Civilian Art Projects gallery boasts a menacing archway with crudely sharpened bed posts poised to strike any who enter. While the large haunted house-type installation by Trish Tillman isn’t the most welcoming art piece, it is a great representation of the type of work the gallery can once again house.

In this inaugural exhibit, Civilian Art Projects hosts two solo shows: In Irons by Trish Tillman and Nightscaping by Erick Jackson. Each exhibit tends to a macabre or dark sensibility, which work to highlight these themes in one another other.

Inspired by amusement parks, Tillman’s installation Pajama Party with Murder Holes is a high note of In Irons. Its patchwork covered arch is a symbol of welcoming, as is the pineapple perched atop of the sculpture — but the stakes and sharpened bed posts pose an interesting juxtaposition, positioning the piece as both luring and repellent.

Tillman explained her work by saying that people romanticise evil; that fantasy evil is romantic but real evil is despair. This sentiment is easily seen throughout her work in both her collage and cut paper pieces, as well as her sculptural ones.