JEREMY HATCH

Canadian artist Jeremy Hatch’s work combines delicate ceramic sculptures reminiscent of European figurines from the 17th and 18th centuries with the 1980s cartoon action heroes that dominated his childhood. “When I was young, US and Canadian laws changed to allow television advertising directly to children,” Hatch explains. “This resulted in a wave of new cartoons specifically aimed at marketing toys to kids. These shows included G.I Joe, He-Man, Transformers, ThunderCats, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and more. Obviously, action figures are more than just toys or collectibles — they are statements on race, gender, class, body positivity and more.”

Hatch remixes the hyper-masculinity of the superhero archetype in porcelain, an ancient medium that’s both fragile and “precious.” In doing so, Hatch achieves a level of cognitive dissonance that alters the viewer’s perception and interpretation of the subject, while tapping into the nostalgia embedded in each action figure.