Overview
This guide supports teachers in leading students through an exploration of identity, transformation, and artistic invention using Pepe Mar’s alter ego Paprika as a central case study. Students will analyze artwork, discuss identity, and create their own alter ego with a defined origin story.
Themes
- Identity & self-representation
- Cultural origins
- Transformation & imagination
- Mixed-media art and collage
- Storytelling through visual form
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- Understand what an alter ego is and how artists use them.
- Analyze visual elements in Pepe Mar’s work.
- Explore how cultural background, personal history, and imagination shape identity.
- Create an original alter ego and write a short origin story.
- Practice observation, interpretation, and creative expression.
Before the Visit
1. Introduce Alter Egos
Share examples of alter egos in art, literature, and pop culture. Discuss why someone might create an alter ego, what freedoms or possibilities it offers, and how an alter ego can express hidden, exaggerated, or aspirational parts of identity.
2. Artist Spotlight: Pepe Mar
- Miami-based artist
- Known for collage, assemblage, and identity exploration
- MOAD commissioned Pepe Mar to create ArtAngel (2025) for the Languages of Migration exhibition at the Freedom Tower
- Created Paprika as a colorful, expressive alter ego
Prompt: What might an alter ego allow an artist to explore that their everyday self cannot?
During the Visit
Gallery Activity: Looking at Paprika
Have students observe the artwork closely.
Guiding Questions:
- What do you notice first?
- What materials or textures stand out?
- What personality traits does Paprika seem to have?
- What clues suggest where Paprika might come from?
- How is this character similar to or different from the artist?
Studio Activity: Create Your Alter Ego
Step 1 — Name Your Alter Ego. Choose a name that reflects personality, culture, or symbolism.
Step 2 — Define Their Origins. Where do they come from; what moment or transformation created them; what cultural or personal influences shaped them. This can be literal, metaphorical, or mysterious.
Step 3 — Describe Their Purpose. What does this alter ego want? What do they protect, challenge, or reveal?
Step 4 — Visual Design. Create a visual representation using collage, drawing, found materials, patterns, symbols, and textures.
After the Visit
Students present their alter egos and origin stories. Discussion prompts: What part of yourself does your alter ego express? How did you choose the colors, shapes, or symbols? What did you learn about identity through this process? Writing Extension: write a short paragraph or poem from the perspective of the alter ego.
Materials Needed
- Paper or cardstock
- Magazines, patterned paper, printed textures
- Scissors, tape, stapler, colored pencils
- Optional: fabric scraps, foil, recycled materials
Assessment Options
- Participation in discussion
- Completion of alter ego artwork
- Origin story writing
- Reflection on identity and artistic choices