Direct heirs of gods and heroes of bygone eras, Superheroes today represent essential vehicles for the transmission of universal values, sentinels defending an increasingly fragile world in need of protection and solace. A gradual process of inspiration and evolution has transported the myths and legends of the past to the present day, transforming their outer shell but leaving their substance intact. From Hercules to Superman, from the Amazons to Wonder Woman, from Mercury to the Flash, the legends change guise but keep faith with their prophetic mission to guide new generations towards a better future, where action and battle are the other side of a coin that demands morality and responsibility.
Inspired by the poems, legends and aesthetics of the past, highlighting the interdependence of ancient and modern mythology, the aim of the exhibition is to make visible the thread that links past, present (and future) stories of these super-human creatures. Starting with the protagonists of ancient cultures and legends, an incredible world is told and explored in which men and women can fly, read minds, control time and the magnetic field, climb walls and manipulate magic. With the creation of Superman in 1938, the door was thrown open to a universe of wonder and amazement, populated by creatures with semi-divine powers. Everything is possible, and the only limit is the unfettered imagination of the artists – writers and illustrators – who over a period spanning almost ninety years have taken turns to create an increasingly vast and surprising world, one that was devised to entertain the youngest, and has gradually transformed into a unique form of art and expression that has gone beyond the confines of print media to influence television, film, music and all forms of art and entertainment, recounted here in chronological and thematic order.
Superheroes – The Origins of Myth is a journey into the fascinating world of ancient and modern heroes that has no limits of age, gender or culture, an experience that starts from a rediscovery and rebirth of ancestral and universal themes imbued with that ‘sense of wonder’ that has fascinated mankind since the dawn of time.