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| Hetain Patel: 'I'm 33 – should I still want to be Spider-Man?' | Hetain Patel: 'I'm 33 – should I still want to be Spider-Man?' |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| My new solo show, American Boy, is made up almost entirely of film and TV quotes. I drew up a list from memory of all the films, scenes and characters that have made me who I am: good, bad and everything in between. What would your list reveal about you? I've tried to be as honest as I can about mine, revealing the contradictions in my personality, my dreams and nightmares, my empathy and prejudices. | My new solo show, American Boy, is made up almost entirely of film and TV quotes. I drew up a list from memory of all the films, scenes and characters that have made me who I am: good, bad and everything in between. What would your list reveal about you? I've tried to be as honest as I can about mine, revealing the contradictions in my personality, my dreams and nightmares, my empathy and prejudices. |
| As kids growing up in Bolton, most of us were constantly trying on different identities, both physically and mentally. We tried different clothes, walks, accents and body types, while imitating family, friends, images from pop culture and whatever else captured our imaginations. This has always felt normal to me and I imagine it is a common childhood experience. | As kids growing up in Bolton, most of us were constantly trying on different identities, both physically and mentally. We tried different clothes, walks, accents and body types, while imitating family, friends, images from pop culture and whatever else captured our imaginations. This has always felt normal to me and I imagine it is a common childhood experience. |
| But if we continue to do this as adults, it is often stigmatised as immature behaviour. How often are we made to feel as if we should know everything about ourselves, after the leniency of adolescence? | But if we continue to do this as adults, it is often stigmatised as immature behaviour. How often are we made to feel as if we should know everything about ourselves, after the leniency of adolescence? |
| I'm 33, so I should have stopped wishing I were Spider-Man by now, right? Well, I haven't. It's not that I actually want to be him, but there is something about the process of trying that image on that helps me know myself better. For example, there is something very liberating about the fact that Spider-Man's costume covers every inch of his skin, disguising his race and age – something that doesn't apply to most other superheroes (Superman, for example). For me, it's not about having super powers but more about the joy of being able to be defined by your actions and not the outer signs that define you, such as gender, race or age. | I'm 33, so I should have stopped wishing I were Spider-Man by now, right? Well, I haven't. It's not that I actually want to be him, but there is something about the process of trying that image on that helps me know myself better. For example, there is something very liberating about the fact that Spider-Man's costume covers every inch of his skin, disguising his race and age – something that doesn't apply to most other superheroes (Superman, for example). For me, it's not about having super powers but more about the joy of being able to be defined by your actions and not the outer signs that define you, such as gender, race or age. |
| We all wear costumes in our daily lives. We wear different clothes, bend our accents, and choose our vocabulary to fit in with, or stand out from, social or professional environments. Or, if we are unable to choose them, we at least become aware of them. For instance, if I'm talking to my dad's mates from his factory, I let my accent get more northern and try not to let my vocabulary betray that I am no longer working class. This behaviour is almost a performance, and in this case lies somewhere between a judgmental attitude on my part and an attempt to be accepted socially. | We all wear costumes in our daily lives. We wear different clothes, bend our accents, and choose our vocabulary to fit in with, or stand out from, social or professional environments. Or, if we are unable to choose them, we at least become aware of them. For instance, if I'm talking to my dad's mates from his factory, I let my accent get more northern and try not to let my vocabulary betray that I am no longer working class. This behaviour is almost a performance, and in this case lies somewhere between a judgmental attitude on my part and an attempt to be accepted socially. |
| Questions of self-discovery and cultural identity, particularly for a second-generation British-Asian artist, feel incredibly cringeworthy to me – it's an obvious path that has been trodden many times (by me among others), so the issue takes careful negotiation to avoid it denying my individuality. I strive to find ways to go beyond the thick layer of cliches out there in order to present a more complex and contradictory reality, portraying not just who I am but also who we are. Searching for a sense of identity is an ongoing human impulse, a universal pursuit, not merely a coming-of-age rite. | Questions of self-discovery and cultural identity, particularly for a second-generation British-Asian artist, feel incredibly cringeworthy to me – it's an obvious path that has been trodden many times (by me among others), so the issue takes careful negotiation to avoid it denying my individuality. I strive to find ways to go beyond the thick layer of cliches out there in order to present a more complex and contradictory reality, portraying not just who I am but also who we are. Searching for a sense of identity is an ongoing human impulse, a universal pursuit, not merely a coming-of-age rite. |
| Recently I've been using elements from mass media and pop culture. Because I'm interested in engaging with the wider world, not just my own personal concerns, it makes sense to use its language. TV and American movies from the 90s are, after all, a first languageto me, too. | Recently I've been using elements from mass media and pop culture. Because I'm interested in engaging with the wider world, not just my own personal concerns, it makes sense to use its language. TV and American movies from the 90s are, after all, a first languageto me, too. |
| American Boy is a self-portrait and a reflection on the mainstream popular culture that moulds much of who we are, whether we are aware of it or not. Ultimately, I'm aiming to share something personal that I hope will resonate with the inner geek in you – and leave you thinking. Below are are some of the lines I'm quoting in my show. Which film and TV quotes sum you up? | |
| My lifelines | |
| "I need to go deep deep deep under cover" (Beverly Hills Cop 2)Reading on mobile? Click here to watch video | "I need to go deep deep deep under cover" (Beverly Hills Cop 2)Reading on mobile? Click here to watch video |
| "It was all the cops' fault. You don't put guys like that into a room together – who knows what could happen?" (The Usual Suspects)Reading on mobile? Click here to watch video | "It was all the cops' fault. You don't put guys like that into a room together – who knows what could happen?" (The Usual Suspects)Reading on mobile? Click here to watch video |
| "You are no longer part of the system. You are above the system. Over it. Beyond it." (Men in Black)Reading on mobile? Click here to watch video | "You are no longer part of the system. You are above the system. Over it. Beyond it." (Men in Black)Reading on mobile? Click here to watch video |
| • American Boy is at Sadler's Wells on 20, 21 May | • American Boy is at Sadler's Wells on 20, 21 May |
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