He-Man was like a kid-friendly Conan back in the 1980's. He was Schwarzenegger-esque, more muscle than not, but instead of teaching kids to enjoy crushing their enemies and hearing the lamentations of their women, He-Man offered life and morality lessons coated with a spoonful of sugary violence...and product tie-ins from Mattel. The animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe produced by Filmation captures the zeitgeist of 80's afternoon programming.

Unconcerned with any great cultural significance, I spent countless hours in front of the TV watching a diverse cast of characters battle the evil Skeletor. As any kid is apt to do, I had my favorite heroes. As the only master of the universe with the ability to fly, Stratos was top of my list. Twenty-five years later it's been interesting to re-imagine the character as a tragic, Icarus-like figure. He is seen above in his descent back to Earth, appropriately as dusk falls near the Meteor Crater outside of Winslow, Arizona.

I was invited to play with Stratos for Gallery 1988's exhibition Under the Influence: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, presented by Mattel. Opening tomorrow night, the show features unique reinterpretations of the iconic characters by 100 fellow artists. The pieces I've seen so far range from the insanely cool blending of He-Man and Garbage Pail Kids by original 80's artist Layron DeJarnette to Kiersten Essenpreis's witty depictions of both antagonists and protagonists in their off-time, dealing with such mundane tasks as visits to the dentist. I can see how that'd be pretty important for Skeletor.

The exhibition runs from January 8th until January 29th. It's definitely not to be missed.

Happy New Year!
Brian

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