Leeloo Minai Lekarariba-Laminai-Tchai Ekbat De Sebat.

Leeloo came to save every one of us, whether we wanted salvation or not. Sounds like a familiar theme? It is. From Superman to Flash Gordon, Christ analogs populate our culture like no other Jungian figure. In fact, there are so many that I wonder what filled that niche prior to 33 ce. But, what you don't often see is a female version of that salvation figure. That alone is worth watching the Fifth Element.

In today's socio-political and cultural climate, strong female leads are very common, but 20 years ago, it was rare to find a woman portrayed as not only needing the help of a male lead, but in fact to be the primary protector for the male protagonist. Jovovitch as Leeloo is a profoundly entertaining role to watch and the actor balances her vulnerability and strength very well. She is so powerful that even complete destruction of her corporeal form isn't enough to stop her, yet the character is naive and vulnerable enough to endear herself to us the way a child does as he or she discovers the world around them. 

Love and hate, responsibility and principled love are key themes throughout the film. Jovovitch's portrayal a savior is not one of arrogant superiority, but of a humble servant who is eager to experience new things and has a joy for life that most of the characters in the film have lost. Ironic considering the design of her character is such that she is many millennia old. Her displeasure of the greed and power-hungry humans is a social commentary that even today we could do well to listen too. One thing I think the story gets absolutely right is the fact that even centuries into the future, humans will continue to fail to find peace or harmony except in the small moments of our existence.

Visually, the film is a feast and Leeloos' costumes are thrilling without being trashy. And. That. Hair! 

The art design in general does as much to make the story enjoyable as the actors and the script. Moebius and Mezieres are credited with the majority of the visual aspects (though it was really a team of 10). But for a certainty, it is Leeloo's red hair that is the lightning rod of awesome throughout the entire film.

Luc Besson claims this was a story he had swimming around in his head from his childhood and it's no wonder that the film oozes boyhood fantasies like mysterious alien caretakers and bodiless evil forces bent on destruction for no reason whatsoever. In fact, I think too often in film and books, storytellers get caught up in explaining the backstory and forget the power of mystery. In fact, one of Leeloo's most compelling aspects is the mystery of her original, purpose and goal.

Jovovitch has gone on to bring other strong female characters to life and is now quite well known for her athleticism and strength. But 20 years ago, she was as nascent as the world of the Fifth Element and as such was a breath of fresh air.

My Pop. Your Pop. Our Pop. We're Pop. is a commentary on how popular culture influences me as an artist as well as all of us. Not only do we share popular culture, we comprise it. The installation is a 150' long window installation in an abandoned mens clothing store turned art studio. The owner converted the huge window panes into what he calls a 'drive-by' gallery space. I've longed to contribute something since we moved into the area in 2013. I wanted to energize the budding creative community that emerging in this once abandoned downtown area here in North Texas.
I comped up each of the 22 windows with a pop culture icon that is important to me and influences my work in some way. I then added a single word, evoking the emotion or feeling I most strongly associate with the character.
The pieces are divided by subject into 6 categories with 3 images each:
Leading Men
Leading Women
Robots
Comic Characters
Musicians & Artists
The last few windows are divergent in that they represent the kind of ideas the characters inspire as well as an essay. They are cut using Oracal 651 black and white and installed by myself and a team of 4 assistants.
See the physical installation at 7th and Indiana in Wichita Falls, TX. Or follow the digital life of the show with #artofmiggy #mypopisyourpop or @artofmiggy.