Martin Wong repurposed bygone cartoon characters with a queer, magpie sensibility, giving them new life as architectural forms painted in curving brickwork. His Popeye panels transform the classic character into humanoid figures, softening his macho image and queering him for a contemporary audience.

In The Most Beautiful Painting in the World, Wong depicts vintage cartoon characters Mutt and Jeff seated at a brick table, kicking back with beer, their title rendered in Chinese script. Meanwhile, a host of dead-eyed bunnies and skulls stare out from behind castle turrets, channeling an awareness of mortality central to his Buddhist beliefs.

Wong’s long-term interest in the rough-hewn urban scene of decaying 1970s downtown Manhattan is reflected in his use of brick as a material. His commandeering of cartoon characters monumentalizes them, pulling throwaway funnies from waste bins and elevating their power to tell stories. The exhibition at PPOW continues through May 30.

Martin Wong: Popeye continues at PPOW (392 Broadway, Tribeca, Manhattan) until May 30. The gallery organized the show.