CANDY POP SHOP
Be seduced by the allure of nighttime delights in Johnny Romeo’s darkly playful ode to feminine power in Candy Pop Shop. Blending the gothic noir aesthetic of Tim Burton’s ‘Batman Returns’ (1992) with a candy-coated twist, the painting depicts Michelle Pfeiffer’s Cat Woman in her signature latex cat suit, as she teasingly holds a lollypop to her mouth, her gaze a mixture of nonchalance and wicked sultriness. While exuding a dark, flirtatious energy, Romeo’s Cat Woman is no objectified siren, but an empowered femme fatale keen on enticing her prey with her magnetic charm. Living up to her feline nature, Cat Woman showcases a new side to the classic comic book heroine, prowling the night as the hunter and heroine, playful yet powerful. Romeo masterfully balances the shadowy atmosphere of Burton’s Gotham with an irrepressible sense of fun, juxtaposing the raven black Cat Woman’s latex catsuit with confectionary sweet hues that capture the irresistible sugar-rush of the title Candy Pop Shop. A master of culture jams, the artist cheekily merges moonlit mischief with the slick innuendo and bombastic beats of 50 Cent’s 2005 hip hop smash hit ‘Candy Shop’. Romeo toys with the candy theme further through his depiction of the full moon, which shines in the background like a candy store in full bloom. Full of juicy colours that tap into the childhood nostalgia of Gobstoppers and Jawbreakers, the moon is transformed into a candy shop bursting with so much Pop that it’s about to explode. Like all temptations, however, there is something sinister lurking behind even the sweetest treats. In this sense, the word assemblage Night Candy is a naughty invitation for Cat Woman to break her nighttime sweets curfew and indulge in her darker impulses, feasting on the treats that only the deep, dark night can offer.