American Heroes, Americana Grotesque | North Annex, 2016
America is big on its heroes. Hollywood has depicted them in countless movies over the years. They may come walking down the center of town at high noon in their size 15 boots to dispense awful justice in the form of hot lead lodged in the bodies of criminals and evildoers. But they may also take the form of a bodybuilder stripping off his clothes in the center of a wrestling ring before bashing the heel (such as The Iron Sheik) in the cranium and forcing them to respect the red, white, and blue. Perhaps the hero is depicted in a skintight leotard to show off his rippling muscles, with a mask to hide his true identity. The hero could be any one of us. But the most important attribute of the American hero is that he is self made. Hard work and dedication have turned him into a bastion, upholding the principles of justice and paving the way around the world for the American way of life.
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