NOÉ PIÑA

 The series of paintings featuring Pancho Pantera, a nostalgic figure from 1980s Choco Milk cans, offers an exploration of memory, cultural symbolism, and balance. In Piña’s work, Pancho Pantera is more than a childhood icon—he becomes a symbol of strength and resilience, deeply tied to Piña’s upbringing in Guadalajara, México, and his memories of trips to Mercado San Andrés with his grandmother.

The teeter-totter, a recurring motif in Piña’s paintings, symbolizes the delicate balance between opposing forces. Just as a teeter-totter requires equal weight on both sides to achieve equilibrium, Piña’s work embodies the tension between innocence and temptation, strength and vulnerability, and the earthly and the divine. Pancho Pantera, flexing his muscles, represents not only physical strength but also moral and spiritual fortitude—qualities Piña associates with his grandmother, who embodied Christian symbols of resilience and righteousness.

By merging Pancho Pantera with the imagery of Archangel Saint Michael, Piña adds a spiritual dimension to his work. Saint Michael’s role as the conqueror of evil parallels Pancho Pantera’s struggle against temptations, transforming the character into a heroic figure of profound significance. This synthesis of cultural and religious iconography creates a rich, multifaceted narrative that resonates on both a personal and universal level.