Tibi Tibi Neuspiel, Processed Cheese Maps on Toast (China USA Europe), 2010. Oil paint, pigmented beeswax.

TIbi Tibi Neuspiel, Assassination Sandwiches: Lincoln/Booth, 2009. Oil paint, wax, pigment.

Tibi Tibi Neuspiel, Assassination Sandwiches: Caesar/Brutus, 2009. Oil paint, wax, pigment, plastic.

Tibi Tibi Neuspiel, OJ Sandwich, 2010. Oil paint, beeswax, paint, paper, steel, wood, leather.

For just the right dose of absurd imagery and weird humor for the end of the week, I give you the work of Toronto-based artist Tibi Tibi Neuspiel. His subversive sandwiches remind me of the sort of strange curiosity you would come across in a second-rate tourist museum of curiosities on the side of a highway, alongside a Nixon-shaped eggplant or a perogie with the face of Jesus on it. And I mean that in a good way.

The reason those junky tourist traps are able to stay afloat is the undeniable appeal of their deliciously curious fare, presented in a graphic and eye-catching manner.  Tibi Tibi’s work similarly appeals to this sensibility: his cheeky images are highly approachable, wonderfully absurd, and visually appealing. And just a little bit ridiculous.

Tibi TIbi Neuspiel, Desert Island Toast (compared to regular piece of toast), 2010. Oil paint and urethane.

Incredibly, they are not photographs of real sandwiches (as I thought when I first looked at his work), but rather beautifully crafted encaustic wax sculptures. Rather than relying on the veneer of curious appeal, his work instead uses this bizarre allure as a vehicle to draw the viewer into the deeper levels of the work.

Tibi Tibi Neuspiel, Canada on White, 2011 (edition of 10). Oil paint, pigmented beeswax, steel, magnet. (Image via ArtBarrage)

While I was gathering material for this post I came across a terrific article about the political potentials of absurdity in the work of Tibi Tibi Neuspiel, by a ridiculously talented friend of mine, essayist and curator Rachel Farquharson. I urge you to go check out her wonderful and intelligent essay, “Avant-garde Now Redux: Tibi Tibi Neuspiel’s Toast Points” on ArtBarrage, if you’re interested in unpacking some of the deeper levels of meaning in his work.

You can also watch a great video interview with Tibi Tibi here.

Tibi Tibi Neuspiel, Assanation Sandwiches: Jesus/Darwin, 2009.

// Images via artist’s website.

For more food-based ridiculousness, visit The Museum of Food Anomalies.