Avengers Reenvisioned in Traditional Native American Style Artwork

If you're a Marvel fan in New York City, you're going want to visit the Smithsonian's National [...]

By Jamie Jirak

If you're a Marvel fan in New York City, you're going want to visit the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian.

Thanks to a tweet from the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Mark Ruffalo (AKA Bruce Banner AKA The Hulk), we're now aware of this awesome mural created by Jeffrey Veregge.

According to the Smithsonian's website, the work "features all the elements of a great comic book battle—splashy text, panel-breaking brawls, giant villains and daring heroes." However, the artwork also "tells a deeper story about cross-pollinating influences between Indigenous traditions and modern pop culture."

On Veregge's personal website, he describes himself as "simply a Native American artist and writer whose creative mantra in best summed up with a word from my tribe's own language as: 'taʔčaʔx̣ʷéʔtəŋ', which means 'get into trouble'."

A member of the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe, the artist is a graduate of the Art Institute of Seattle, and is currently "a Lead Designer/Studio Manager for a media agency that specializes in Non-Profits."

The artist explains that his work is "a reflection of a lifetime love affair with comic books, toys, TV and film." He has chosen to take his "passions" and combine them with his "Native perspective."

The Marvel mural created by Veregge was created using formline, "a style of art dating back more than 2,000 years."

Ruffalo's tweet isn't the first time a Marvel actor has expressed their love for Veregge's art. The creative shared a "favorite" memory with Smithsonian regarding the time Robert Downey Jr. (AKA Tony Stark AKA Iron Man) shared the artist's work on social media.

After a "series of meetings" with Marvel and the curator, Kathleen Ash-Milby, the idea of an "immersive mural" became an "appealing idea." Ultimately, they "settled on the idea of a narrative that shows an invasion of Earth by celestial beings coming from outer space, towering over the New York City skyline (including the Avengers Tower), taking inspiration from comic book artist Jack Kirby's Celestial series and incorporating more than a dozen Marvel characters."

The final result looks awesome, and we can't wait to see it in person. You can view more of Veregge's work here.

"Jeffrey Veregge: Of Gods and Heroes," is currently on display at the National Museum of the American Indian George Gustav Heye Center through October 13, 2019.

0comments
Start the Conversation

of