P·P·O·W gallery in New York is presenting "Martin Wong: Popeye," the gallery's sixth solo exhibition of the artist's work and his first solo show in New York in over a decade. Co-curated by Mark Dean Johnson and Anneliis Beadnell, the exhibition explores Wong's lifelong fascination with artistic subcultures, particularly comic book illustration and early tattoo imagery.
Hyperallergic reviews Martin Wong's posthumous exhibition "Popeye" at PPOW gallery, featuring six motorized plywood panels that reimagine the cartoon character Popeye as curving brickwork. The show includes smaller works like "Sacred Shroud of Pepe Turcel" (1989–90) and paintings of vintage cartoon characters Mutt and Jeff, Little Lulu and Tubby, all rendered in Wong's signature brick style. The review highlights Wong's queer, magpie sensibility and his ability to cross boundaries between high and low culture.