Artist turns Virgin Mary statues into superheroes

Filipino devotees dress up images of the Santo Niño (Christ Child) in superhero garb, police or military uniforms, or even the famous Ginebra #7 jersey, but a French artist is giving images of the Virgin Mary a more radical makeover.

 

Soasig Chamaillard repairs broken statues of the Virgin Mary, but dresses them up as superheroes and modern cultural icons, tech site io9.com reported.

 

But Chamaillard maintains she is not out to bash Mary, but use the Madonna icon to explore modern cultural symbols, especially those related to women and women's roles.

 

"Those leaps are easier to make when she's cast Mary as Superman or a Jedi knight, but perhaps more intriguing when applied to something like Hello Kitty, who is an appealing and sometimes even comforting figure for so many people," io9.com said.

 

With Chamaillard's work, the Virgin Mary is transformed into cultural models resembling Superman, Sailormoon, an astronaut, or even a lightsaber-wielding Jedi knight.

 

Her other more radical works depict the Virgin Mary as a character from the TV series "My Little Pony," or a mother carrying Astroboy.

 

One of her works even had a statue of the Virgin Mary with the head of Hello Kitty.

 

On the other hand, Chamaillard also gives the Virgin Mary a geeky personality, portraying her as Sioux, the patron Saint of GPS, and a Polly Pocket locket. — TJD, GMA News