Arantza Peña Popo
It’s through the language of panels and gutter that I can stretch apart these intangible moments of dissociation and yearning into dynamic compositions and abstract depictions. And this is further stretched out in part by my zines: tactile explorations of the continuum of time where readers can be submerged and interact with both the past and the present.
Tears become rainfall become tiny sperm from a man in a hotel bedroom; dissociation becomes a hazy tapestry of bodies floating in the dark air. Being horny on my mother’s patio or hiding in the bathroom of a gay club are no longer embarrassing moments– they’re opportunities to manipulate these experiences in fun, light-hearted and colorful ways.
I seek comfort in departing from the representational, from the obvious–if I'm not grounded in reality then why should my work?
A semi-autobiographical stream-of-consciousness comic that follows a girl feeling the weight of her past and present as she dances at a frat party. The vibrant story weaves in sexist rites of passage, the idea of the Cool Black Girl, and the murky borders of sexuality in the nighttime.
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Lavender Scare follows a harrowing journey of a girl trying to escape a vibrant petal monster. This adventure stands as an allegory for my own journey of self-acceptance with my queerness. Through this adventure, our protagonist learns to accept their sexuality (along with earning a few bruises!)
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Two-color, 16-page risograph zine about the precarious balance between power and vulnerability walking home alone at night as a Black femme. The cover features two eyes cut out by hand.
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