Jasper Hagenaar Gotham Beach 2010

Jasper Hagenaar (Tilburg, 1977) bouwt zijn schilderijen op met massa tegenover losheid. De met acryl opgezette kleuren, als ware het een aquarel, blijven licht doorschemeren in de grijzig getinte olieverflaag van het oppervlak.

Het is een avontuurlijke wereld die Hagenaar ons voorschotelt. Een wereld bevolkt door vliegtuigen, astronauten, roofvogels en palmbomen.
Het lijken de fantasieën van een jongen uit de jaren vijftig, begin zestig, doortrokken van een mannelijke heroïek en het geloof in vrijheid en vooruitgang. Hagenaar’s jongensjaren speelden zich echter af eind jaren ’80 begin ’90, lang voorbij Karl May en Neil Armstrong. Zijn generatie is opgegroeid met de stroom van indirecte beelden, via film, televisie en videoclips. Het grote aanbod van beelden, moet je zelf filteren en vervolgens toe-eigenen. Dat is de actieve component. De kadrering van zijn doeken doet recht aan de indirectheid van die ‘nabeelden’, aan het afgeleide van de werkelijkheid. Zo wordt het indirecte beeld van een arend een schilderij van een arend op een prent.

http://www.jasperhagenaar.nl/

Mark Chamberlain

MARK CHAMBERLAIN
QUEER BATMAN IN CONTEXT
In 1954 Dr. Frederick Wertham, psychiatric consultant to the Chief Censor of the United States Treasury Department, published Seduction of the Innocent, a 400-page rant against the comic book industry. In it, he claimed that comic books caused violence, delinquency and deviant behavior in children, and was to be blamed for the rise of homosexuality in society. Batman was held to be particularly subversive. He writes:

At home [Batman and Robin] lead an idyllic life. They are Bruce Wayne and "Dick" Grayson. Bruce is described as a "socialite" and the official relationship is that Dick is Bruce's ward. They live in sumptuous quarters, with beautiful flowers in large vases and have a butler, Alfred. Batman is sometimes shown in a dressing gown...the young boy sometimes worries about his partner. It is like a wish dream of two homosexuals living together. Sometimes they are shown on a couch, Bruce reclining and Dick sitting next to him, jacket off, collar open, and his hand on his friend's arm. Like girls in other stories, Robin is sometimes held captive by the villains...
Robin is a handsome athletic boy, usually showing his uniform with bare legs. He is buoyant with energy and devoted to nothing on earth or interplanetary space as much as to Bruce Wayne. He often stands with legs spread, the genital region discreetly evident.1
The U.S. Senate promptly held hearings, the Comic Books Code Authority was put in place and rigid self-censorship practices were begun within the industry.
I hardly think that comic books cause homosexuality, but even if they did, I don’t think homosexuality is a bad thing. I’m simply bringing this homoerotic subtext into full relief. But in another way I’m merely using these characters as a vehicle to express certain elements of my own personality.
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/the-gallery/the-gallery-mark-chamberlain-049386

My Super Hero: New Contemporary Art From Iran

"For centuries Persian artists have used mythology and poetry to depict a wondrous world, loyal to ideals of beauty, truth and perfection. A world where they have found the redeeming answer to brutality, chaos and frustration that have been a part of daily life. Artists have created sanctuaries, providing consolation, delight and revelation for their audiences. They have preserved the Persian legacy, enriched our lives and inspired us as a nation to become better than we are."

What makes this exhibit even more relevant is that, just as in Iran, many countries in the "Middle East" are in turmoil as their citizens are no longer willing to accept the status quo. As these populations struggle to bring a new world into being, they are looking for possible alternatives of leadership in an impossible voidone that can only be filled by a hero who is "supposed to spring to life in the face of danger and adversity and display courage and the will for self sacrifice." The artists offer their interpretations of who these heroes might be in My Super Hero.
http://www.moronokiang.com/exhibitions/my-superhero

Abner Preis Superheroproject

“In The Superhero Project, we find the artist (as hero) performing by going to work in different cities around the world. His job is to transform experience, shift the perspective of other citizens and help bring out the hero in their hearts. His superpower? The ability to help you imagine yours and become a hero. Financial crisis does not make this work easier, but our hero will not be defeated. In an almost militant manner, he carries on. (…) The masked superhero is the ultimate expression of fashion’s power to transform and of the concealed face as a symbol of personal freedom. Peter Parker, Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne all understood the power of dressing right; passing unsuspected in daily life, their masquerade gave them liberty to express a side of their selves that was unconventional and even transgressive. The Superhero Project allows ‘ordinary’ citizens access to the liberty of free expression that comes from wearing a mask, and, by extension the transformative power of fashion.”
http://abnerpreis.com/

Geen-overlast man

Studentenstad Leuven introduceert Geen-Overlastman, de ‘superheld’ die in oktober de stad moet beschermen tegen nachtlawaai, straatgevechten en andere overlast. Omdat de postercampagnes uit andere steden weinig opleverden, besloot Leuven het over een andere, ludiekere boeg te gooien. Geen-Overlastman is een onderdeel van de jaarlijkse sensibiliseringscampagne waarbij studenten en de stad de handen in elkaar slaan.

Real life Superheroes

"Real-life superheroes" are men and women who, using the thematic device of the costumed superhero, perform services that benefit the community in a variety of ways. Some real-life superheroes, also called RLSH, hand out supplies to the homeless, while others seek to directly combat crime through community patrols in which suspicious activity is identified and reported to the proper authorities, or directly dealt with by the RLSH.