Superheroes have truly been embraced by street artists. Apart from the natural appeal of comic books to the visually-inclined, this global phenomenon can also be attributed to the still rising popularity of superhero films.
In a 2014 report by The Telegraph, an inspired piece of graffiti appeared on one of the walls in the cobbled streets of the Vatican. It was a cutout poster of Pope Francis in full papal garb flying through the air Superman-style with his right fist straight out in front and his other hand clutching a briefcase marked valores – the Spanish word for values.
The dominating influence of superhero films really only began in the late 90s when the current trend of dark and gritty superhero movies started to take off. At the time, directors began to veer away from the campy hero flicks of earlier decades, resulting in gems like The Crow, Blade, The Shadow and 1999’s Mystery Men – a provoking yet comedic deconstruction of superheroes. In 2005, Batman Begins brought neo-noir and realism to the genre, followed by the blockbuster Iron Man in 2008 – the film that gave birth to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The gritty direction and symbolism of these new superhero movies is a huge part of what made the genre so attractive to street artists.
Today, what used to be exclusively geek territory has broken through to the mainstream, and naturally, this influence extends to the streets. You can see this nearly everywhere. Italian street artist Solo has already completed a number of commissioned superhero murals for high-end fashion and lifestyle brands like Gwyneth Paltrow’s goop and Valentino. In his interview with W Magazine, Solo explains: “For me, superheroes are a modern version of religion; they are like gods. Jesus was kind of like a superhero — he walked on water and came back from death”. Solo goes on to explain how the overwhelming problems of society are what gave rise to our need to worship something conceptually bigger than ourselves. “Today, we’ve replaced religion with superheroes”.
It’s not uncommon for other street artists around the world to do the same thing that Solo has – creating thematic murals for brands and corporations. After all, it’s a lucrative business, but while the rise of superhero graffiti as a commodity provides livelihood for artists, it also begs the question – is graffiti/street art no longer primarily an act of dissidence and social criticism?
The Conversation writes that the newly-billed creative city doctrine utilizes the edgy and dangerous aesthetic of urban street art as a way to attract knowledge-based creative professionals into corporate spaces. Apart from Solo, another example of this is former graffiti writer and now full time freelance street artist Gnasher, whose legal and commissioned works around London are heavily inspired not just by superheroes, but also sci-fi and horror movie imagery.
In effect, what used to be a highly dissident art form originally meant for reclaiming public spaces from corporate interests, is now being used for the very same interests it used to oppose. From coffee shops that feature street art-inspired murals to developing corporate spaces that commission the large artworks, the use of street art to increase real estate value can be seen in “creative city” centers around the world. ABC reported that the government of Canberra in Australia even appointed a city street art coordinator, allowing the local authorities to determine legal mural sites for aspiring street artists in Canberra. All of this has watered down the dissenting characteristics of graffiti – an artistic act of transgression successfully transformed into a commodity that can be bought or sold to the highest bidder.
However, it also can’t be denied that the ongoing love affair between the superhero genre and street art has inspired its fair share of clever, creative, and sometimes even dissident street art. Thanks to the recent Marvel and DC movies, borrowing inspiration from silver screen superheroes has become a quick and efficient way to tap into the zeitgeist. The inherent artistic possibilities of the genre and its now mainstream appeal makes it easy fodder for artists of all kinds.
The visual style of superheroes can be seen across many mediums. Like street artists, entertainment industries have also used the popular design and atheistic of superhero art to appeal to modern audiences. Such is the interest that museums like the Seattle Museum of Pop Culture now run exhibitions on superheroes. Many companies don’t even need to use official Marvel or DC heroes to attract audiences as the style of art is so recognizable. Foxy Games has multiple games inspired by modern day superheroes, such as Asgardian Stones and Booster, that take artistic elements from the famous comics, the bold color schemes and fantastical imagery, and use them to create their own heroes. From street art to digital games, the superhero genre has become one of the leading sources of cultural influence.
Even as street art is currently being hijacked for corporate interests, it remains a viable vehicle for social criticism and political action – something that we at Street Art United States are very familiar with. After all, the superhero genre is just a new set of themes and images for street artists to play with. However this is used, is up to the artists themselves.
And if you’re starting to think that superhero street art can’t truly be subversive due to its corporate appeal, you need to see this mural of Wonder Woman hitting Donald Trump.
