Ampo

The Eternaut is a classic Argentine comic book from the mid-1950s. Martín Vitaliti’s Ampo analyses the discourses of representation and questions the democratic spaces of the image based on its re-reading.

The original comic book’s story is about an alien invasion that wipes out most of the population by means of a toxic snowstorm. It is therefore a metaphor for Argentina’s national history and its resistance to oppression, in which the invasion refers to the coups d’état the country has experienced. The edition focuses on this meteorological phenomenon, which is printed independently in white ink to be isolated from the rest of the story’s elements.

Martín Vitaliti (Argentina, 1978) is a visual artist who explores the logics of representation. His work centres on analysing the codes of the verbal-iconic narration in comics in order to reflect on this language as another narrative construct in contemporary art. He employs a methodology akin to appropriation through which he borrows references from subculture that enable him to examine the creative process and to strip it of its mystery, while addressing subjects such as quoting, authorship, creation, reproduction and originality. The formats he uses to pursue his projects include the image, installation art, video and publications.