Run! The Old World Is Behind You! - Christopher Sperandio

About

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. 

The artist will present his latest political graphic novel Pinko Joe as well as conduct a video-assisted artist talk about the progression of his work during his residency at SomoS Art House. The results of which are a sequel and extension to Pinko Joe called Greenie Josephinie, drafted and illustrated during the past three months. Visitors are invited to view documentation and expanded descriptions of the process on exhibit, and to get a first glimpse of the unpublished work in the form of a limited edition broadsheet titled “Pinko Joe or Run! The Old World is Behind You!,” designed by Christopher Sperandio and produced specifically for the event by SomoS Art House. 

The broadsheet publication will be released on the 23rd of February and available in a limited quantity until the end of the exhibition on the 28th of February. 

Christopher Sperandio on the process of creating his latest graphic novel:

“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. 

The process involves selecting stories from existing books produced in the US between the late 1940s and 1960s, rewriting the stories, and then redrawing the result, sometimes faithful to the original and sometimes with necessary changes.”

Currently an associate professor at Rice University in the department of Visual and Dramatic Arts, Sperandio's art activities are rooted from the conceptual art and political activism of the 1960s and take the form of comic books, television and painting installations. He has a strong affinity with the work of the Situationist International (SI), the 60's anti-authoritarian international movement of avant-garde artists, intellectuals and political theorists. 

The artist will also be exhibiting some of his existing works, talking about graphic novels and his involvement in Social Art practices dating back to the late 1980s.

About The Artist: 

Christopher Sperandio is an acclaimed visual artist, educator, graphic novelist, writer and TV producer. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Printmaking from West Virginia University and a Master’s in Painting from the University of Illinois at Chicago. 

He has produced numerous collaborative projects for museums and art centers in the US, Germany, Denmark, Spain, France and the UK with institutions such as MoMA/PS1, London’s Institute of Contemporary Art, Fantagraphics Books and DC Comics. 

Sperandio is also the executive producer of ARTSTAR, the first reality TV series based in the New York City art world. He is additionally a founding member of KartoonKings, a media company engaged in the production of comic books, animations and films.

He is currently based in Houston Texas and is an associate Professor at Rice University.