Artist Rich Simmons has brought his pop-zeitgeist mashup canvases to Soho Contemporary Art, for a new exhibit entitled, “Misfits”.
The exhibition runs through October 18. If you’ve ever wanted to see storm troopers in Louis Vuitton, or Batman and Superman passionately kissing in a warm embrace (as seen in Simmons’s “Between the Capes”), this is your opportunity.
Borrowing quite liberally from the thick outlines and bold colors of Roy Lichtenstein’s comic pastiche, Simmons melds modern consumerism with classic Sunday strip aesthetics, such as with his “Vanities Death Grip” depicting a skeletal hand holding a bottle of Chanel No.5.
Simmons previously deployed his irreverence to depict Kate Middleton and Prince William as Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen, a royal couple in their own right, just after the royal wedding. Simmons has clearly had a bit of fun with his new works, with Blondie-esque pinups in Misfits attire behind the DJ booth and a sexy Batgirl going her own way. It may not be revelatory, but there is a certain amount of joy to be had while taking in his spin on the comic strip of modern America.
Art is the Cure (AITC) is an international movement created by Rich Simmons in 2008, which is devoted to the masses using inspiration in its purest form to change lives as a form of therapy for autistic individuals and depression, both of which Simmons has battled in his life.
-Dylan Sands
