In the world of Laurina Paperina, comic book characters and super heroes take on a more human folksy feel – wrinkles appear beneath Spiderman’s mask and Robin’s beer belly hangs slightly over his green tights. The manner in which Paperina portrays these fictitious personalities and parodied celebrities draws parallel to the ordinary among us. In keeping with the fantastic characters she creates, the artist has adopted the pseudonym Laurina Paperina (her real name is Laura Scottini).

Through her lo-fi paintings and drawings with witty one-liners, Paperina’s interpretations of the social and political ramifications of television and the internet come to life. Her subjects are presented simply but powerfully, incorporating a vivid cartoon-like palate, ultimately reducing them to their most familiar and accessible characteristics. This is an effective strategy given our internet age of increasingly short attention spans. In the video game world of good and evil, Laurina Paperina is a welcome hero, liberating us with humor from our phobias, foibles and fallacies. Where instant gratification is valued over personal relationships, Paperina encourages us to be honest and vulnerable.

ro(t)fl (internet slang for rolling on the floor laughing) the artist takes us through an ironic journey of heroes and villains, celebrities, and other pop culture figures. With over 100 works including drawings, paintings, a wall installation and an original animation, we are reintroduced to characters that we have known and loved for years, and meet an entire cast of new ones. “Rolling on the floor laughing” is Paperina’s opportunity to remind us not to take ourselves so seriously. Like-wise, Paparina’s direct approach pokes fun at the grandiosity elitism of the art word itself.