PINKO JOE OR RUN!
Christopher Sperandio
SomoS is pleased to announce the upcoming presentation of American professor and graphic novelist Christopher Sperandio's latest work that confronts head on the troubling political times in a graphical, satirical way.
On the 23rd of February 2017, Sperandio will give an introduction to his work, and demonstrate the process behind creating his politically charged, prescient, and satirical appropriation of vintage comics. These nostalgic relics of a bygone era are critically reevaluated and manually re-animated to tell new stories that eerily reflect and whimsically exaggerate current sociopolitical issues -- especially relevant in the Trump era, in which many of the supposedly intractable rights of women and minorities are now being threatened at the highest levels of government.
I’m using public domain comic books as raw material for a new graphic novel series that is part political satire and part slapstick comedy. The central character is a Socialist crusader for human rights, dedicated to curbing the evils of out of control capitalism and corporate greed. This fantasy figure travels between dimensions and times matching his wit, brawn and (mostly) luck, against insidious assholes. The process involves selecting stories from existing books produced in the US between the late 1940s and 1960, rewriting the stories, and then redrawing the result, sometimes faithful to the original and sometimes with necessary changes. Lettering, inking and coloring happening between digital and traditional tools. Volume One, entitled Pinko Joe was completed in October 2016. The graphic novel currently in the works is a follow-up story to ‘Pinko Joe’, with a working title of “Greenie Josephinie,” introduces a new female character, and draws influences from climate change deniers to the landmark court case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, and the resulting influx of dark money into the US political landscape. I’ll exhibit part of my odd process of stitching together existing works, and will talk about comics and about my historical involvement in Social Art practices, dating back to the late 1980s. - Christopher Sperandio
Pinko Joe or Run! The Old World is Behind You!
Opening, Presentation, Artist Talk, Publication Launch of Christopher Sperandio
23rd of February 2017 – 7-9 PM - Open 24, 25, 28 February 2017 from 2 – 7 PM (Free entry)
SomoS Art House – Kottbusser Damm 95, 1. OG, 10967 Berlin U8 Schönleinstrasse, exit Schinkestrasse