With his series of portraits, paris-based artist benoit lapray asks ‘what do our comic book heroes do when they are not face to face with the enemy, or trying to save the life of a person in distress?’
Set against natural landscapes and picturesque panoramas, superheroes in ‘the quest for the absolute’ series contemplate their surroundings, alone in vast spaces surrounded by nothing else but nature. Momentarily withdrawn from civilization, the characters seem extraordinarily out-of-place on their own, without a crowd of civilians to save, or some urban, dystopian setting in the background. Lapray captures the moment during which these famous vigilantes are not actually part of any action, and instead presents them as lonely beings who are seemingly on quest to find themselves. In the series, the viewer is left to figure out if the figures are lonesome in their companionless state, or merely enjoying a day off from their demanding daily duties.
Batman contemplates in a deserted cave dwelling
Superman, alone on a rock out at sea
Spiderman hangs from a cavernous landscape
Spiderman sits on the edge of a rocky terrain
Catwoman hides in an alleyway
The incredible hulk barrels down a tree-lined pathway
Wonderwoman sits on the edge of a waterfall
Wolverine on the edge of a rocky cliff
Silver surfer, alone above a picturesque landscape
Thor
Wonderwoman alone in a pool of water
Flash goes on a run through a grassy expanse
Superman contemplates the natural landscape that surrounds him
