At the Vapriikkii Museum in Tampere, Finland, the second stage of the exhibition from the Comic-Con Museum in San Diego, USA, opens on May 29th.
A hyper-dynamic and super-pop journey through the history of heroes from the past and present. The exhibition explores what types of superhero models can be found in ancient myths and legends. Visitors can follow the evolution of superheroes both chronologically and thematically.
Superheroes are the heirs of ancient deities who defend the world and universal human values. Ancient myths have changed over time, as have the appearance of heroes. Superman was born from Heracles, Wonder Woman from the Greek Amazons, and Flash from Hermes. However, the mission of heroes – to lead new generations towards a better and more just world – has remained the same.
The exhibition Superheroes – From Antiquity to Contemporary tells the story of these superhuman characters: how their creation was influenced by the myths, poems and aesthetics of ancient cultures, which, combined with modern stories, gave rise to the superheroes we know.
The impetus for the birth of new heroes was the comic book Superman, published in 1938. With it, a completely new and wonderful universe opened up, where everything was possible and whose heroes had almost godlike powers. Over the last century or so, comic book artists and scriptwriters have created worlds, each more wonderful than the other.
The exhibition at the Vapriikki Museum will present, among other things, six ancient sculptures from the collections of the National Roman Museum, which embody the influence of Greek and Roman myths on the creation of modern superheroes. The exhibition features a large number of superhero comic books, hundreds of figurines and dolls. In addition to the Italian collection of Fabrizio Modina and Fabrizio D’Amelia and the original drawings by Simone Bianchi, the exhibition is also supplemented by materials from lenders from Finland.
Superheroes – From Antiquity to Contemporary is a project by Contemporanea Progetti and Fondazione M-Cube, curated by Eugenio Martera, Fabrizio Modina, Federica Montani.