“Even Superheroes can’t save us now!” is the second panel of the “American Quartet” project which deals with the contemporary overturn in the meaning of symbols and archetypes through the prism of America, and how they have all mostly become infiltrated by fear.

Part one dealt with the image of the Idol whose symbol isn’t the Rock Star anymore but has become the paramilitary or the terrorist through which deeds rebellion is filtered. The paramilitary is Fear. Part Three will be a monumental sculpture and installation, a symbol of hope and freedom becoming Fear itself. Part Four will be a film installation loosely based on a novel by Sam Shepard questioning the archetype of the Wild West and the Cowboy. Again, Fear will be an ever-present factor. Each element explores how a symbol or archetype has in time become its own counterpoint, which in the present cases are all fear related, fear inducted or fears bearers.

Part Two, presented at CuetoProject in New York on September 6th, is a series of paintings and laser cut sculptures using the tools of comics art and its numerous pop art appropriations to define a new situation on the world’s political and power landscape.

America, land of the superheroes, is confronted with the possibility of becoming the most hated country on the planet and through its imperialistic attempts to control the world has put itself in a situation where its very own emblematic values are being turned upside down. Each symbol of the USA seems to turn into a negation of itself. The heroes become either helpless or villains. It is in a way the illustration of how an ideal becomes perverted and inverted. Like kryptonite making Superman helpless and weak, so are politics today making the USA fragile and vulnerable, like they’ve never thought they could be. Fear, paranoia, and war are only some of the possible reactions and results of this current state. This situation which in itself is a contemporary version of a History repeating its own patterns can be illustrated by associating them to religious and Christian imagery, more precisely the passion of Christ which can be found in most of the paintings presented. The “Pop” aspect of the painting is like a sugarcoating for a bitter reality. Using quickly identifiable elements to push an idea faster in the viewer’s mind.

America, Land of Modern Myths is confronted with the validity of those very myths, which help create the mightiest country on Earth. This project doesn’t have the pretension to be politically relevant, but only to question a possible reality and illustrate it. Which in essence is also political….