Image source: Dulce Pinzón
And speaking of transformations, I recently saw the show Superheros: Fashion and Fantasy show at the Met’s Costume Institute. The show, skillfully art directed by a friend Shane Valentino, was well curated and displayed– mixing the source material from the original comics with film costumes and related representation in fashion. I mean, who doesn’t want to see Linda Carter’s outfit from Wonder Woman?
However, the photography of Dulce Pinzón takes the concept of the superhero and flips it on its head. Originally from Mexico, Pinzón takes photos of immigrant workers who come to the US to work and send back remittances each week. In 2006, an estimated US$45 billion dollars from 12.6 million immigrants were sent back to Latin American from the US, revealing the magnitude and symbiotic interdependent relationship. In this example, Sergio García works as a waiter in New York. He is able to send back US$350 a week. Other heros include Superman as delivery boy, Batman as car service driver, and yes, Wonder Woman as laundromat worker. The subjects of her work are simultaneously honest, absurd, tragic, and inspiring, while questioning our concepts of the idols, hero, fame, and equality.
Thanks for sharing this! I wish I could see the show.
It reminds me of a discussion I had a while back, about how movies unfairly portray superheros as constantly being exciting… For example, Batman. He feels lonely, likes to sleep in, and probably spends too much time watching TV. We just see the coolest snippets of his life. And what about Joker? He has to do the laundry just like everyone else, and probably isn’t very cool (or crazy?) on his down time.
Anyway… 🙂