Opening in Guilford Friday: Reimagining the superhero

Guilford Art Center
411 Church St., Guilford, (203) 453-5947
identity theft: reinventing the comic hero
July 11—Aug. 14, 2008
Opening reception, Fri., July 11, 5—9 p.m.

Press release

Contemporary artistic interpretations of classic comic book heroes will be on view at the Guilford Art Center in identity theft: reinventing the comic hero. This exhibition runs July 11 through August 14 in the Mill Gallery.

identity theft poses the question of what happens when Spiderman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and other iconic characters from comic books are re-imagined and reinvented by some of today’s best underground and emerging artists. Through the art works on view—paintings, watercolors, found object sculpture, digital renderings and more—the exhibition explores this subject as a means of connecting and complicating the relationship between hero and viewer.

“We are so used to seeing what these popular comic book and cartoon characters look like on the newsstand,” say exhibition curators Matthew Fletcher and Christopher Uminga, who themselves are artists working in this vein. “But what will they look like outside the confines of a comic book shop, on the walls of a gallery? At some point in many people’s lives, they’ve had some connection with a superhero. These powerful men and women, who risk it all to help those less fortunate, have long been part of popular culture, because they transcend cultural and gender-specific boundaries. The rage of The Hulk, the alienation felt by the mutants in X-men, Batman’s desire for revenge and justice—these are traits and qualities people can identify with in their own, non-superpowered lives.”

Artists exhibiting work in identity theft include Gris Grimly, Sket One, Gus Fink (see three superheroes image), Aaron Kraten, Michael Shapcott, Silas Finch, James Polisky, Gene Guynn, Celeste Rapone, Andy B. Clarkson, Gabriel Shaffer, Dean McDowell (see Joker image), Eric Fortune, Arabella Proffer, Drew Falchetta, Project Detonate, Joe Pekar, Burn353, Mr. Christopher, Tanya Pshenychny, Allen Wittert, Tom Haubrick, Ben Kwok, Ezerd, Laura Usowski, Rob Gramlich, David Nielsen, Phil Young, Jason Rudolph Pena, Laura Klein, Dustin Oswald, and David Apuzzo.

The opening reception for identity theft is Friday, July 11, 5 to 9pm. At the opening reception, donations will be accepted for The Heroes Initiative, a nonprofit organization established to provide monetary support to former comic book creators requiring supplemental health, medical, and quality-of-life assistance.

This exhibition is supported, in part, by NewAlliance Foundation. Guilford Art Center gallery hours are Monday through Friday noon to 6, Saturday noon to 5. Admission is free. Docent-led tours can be scheduled by appointment.