'Super Nurse' by Fake, 2024
Lithograph poster based on the artist's ground-breaking COVID artwork from 2020.
27.5 x 19.75 Inches
70 x 50 Centimeters
Offset lithograph on satin poster paper.
Open Edition.
Published by Straat Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
ABOUT THE ART
FAKE’s 'Super Nurse' is an iconic piece of pandemic-era street art that reimagines frontline healthcare workers as modern superheroes. The work depicts a nurse wearing a protective mask emblazoned with the instantly recognizable Superman emblem—an image that fuses pop-culture mythology with real-world courage.
Rendered in FAKE’s signature stencil style, the image uses bold contrasts, clean silhouettes, and a limited palette to amplify the emotional weight of the subject. The soft, upward gaze of the figure conveys resilience and determination, turning an everyday uniform into a powerful symbol of hope at a moment when the world desperately needed it.
Created in 2020 at the height of global lockdowns, 'Super Nurse' quickly gained international visibility as a tribute to doctors, nurses, and essential workers risking their lives on the front lines. Its message—simple yet profoundly resonant—caught the attention of audiences far beyond the street-art community, leading to widespread reproduction, media coverage, and use in charitable fundraising. The artwork’s blending of a comic-book emblem with an ordinary mask underscores the idea that heroism does not require superhuman powers; instead, it arises in acts of compassion, endurance, and service.
As both a cultural artifact and a piece of contemporary street art, Super Nurse stands as a lasting reflection of a pivotal moment in history. FAKE’s ability to transform a single figure into a universal symbol of gratitude and solidarity speaks to the strength of visual art in times of crisis. The work remains one of the most defining artistic responses to COVID-19—an image that captures the emotional landscape of the era and honors those whose bravery often goes unseen.