King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center (53 Washington Square South, New York, NY) will present “Illustrating Spain in the United States”, a joint artistic effort to deepen the Spanish presence in America.
Commissioned by the Spanish Embassy’s Cultural Office and curated by award-winning writer Ana Merino, the program – which opens September 20 and runs through December 16 – brings together comic book creators and academics .
Comic artists and scholars bring us closer to the United States to reflect on the legacy of Spanish heritage over the centuries and Spain’s role as an essential nursery in the bedrock of American history and culture.
This project aims to better understand seven potential aspects of the inspiring Spanish presence resulting in comics of very diverse inspiration.
Artists include: Sergio García, Rayco Pulido, Ana Penyas & Seisdedos, Anapurna, Mireia Pérez, Carla Berrocal, Max and Sonia Pulido. Organized by Ana Merino.
About the artists
- Sergio García, with the lines of his expansive drawings, while gazing at San Agustín, Las Misiones and the Camino Real, creates an amazing colorful map by Lola Moral.
- Rayco Pulido imagined drawing Bernardo de Gálvez and brought him back to everyone’s memory, focusing on the key role he played in the American Revolutionary War.
- Ana Penyas and Seisdedos share their passion, and the plasticity of their lines shapes these unknown faces of Spanish immigrants who grew up as Spaniards with the nostalgia of an ocean that separated them from their origins.
- Anapurna reminds us of the strength of Hispanism with a comic strip that evokes the poetics of the diaspora.
- Mireia Pérez immerses herself in the imagination of the brains of Spanish scientists who have made great achievements on American soil and celebrates them.
- Carla Berrocal applauds the passionate soul of Spaniards in Hollywood.
- Max leads us into the surprising labyrinth of Spanish art in the United States, guided by a magpie and three cats that escaped from a painting by Goya.
- In addition, Sonia Pulido will be in charge of opening the door to these perspectives with a cover that contains all the experiences lived over the years and the future essence of the entrepreneurial illusion of the Spanish diaspora.
About the curator:
Ana Merino is an award-winning writer and professor at the University of Iowa. She has written numerous reviews on comics and graphic novels. She has two academic books, a monograph on Chris Ware, and has curated five comic book exhibits. Between 2001 and 2011, she was a member of the executive committee of the ICAF (International Comic Arts Forum); and between 2004 and 2014 founding board member of the Center for Cartoon Studies.
“Illustrating Spain in the United States is a project that aims to highlight the presence and heritage of Spain in American territory, from its help during the War of Independence to the heritage that still exists. The project started as a series of comics created by Spanish artists in collaboration with history experts, but is now turning into a physical exhibition that will be available from mid-November to early March at the former residence of the Ambassadors of Spain.
Comic artists and scholars help bring the United States closer to us to reflect on the legacy of Spanish heritage over the centuries. Spain has been an essential nursery in the substrate of American history and culture. This project aims to better understand seven potential aspects of the inspiring Spanish presence resulting in comics of very diverse inspiration.
The comic’s versatility allows it to represent many shades of this living diaspora of Spanish men and women who were and still are twinned with the American experience. Michael Francis, Eduardo Garrigues, James Fernández, Luis Argeo, Lucía Cotarelo Esteban, Juan Pimentel, Estrella de Diego and Dolores Jiménez Blanco are the interlocutors who advise and guide the creators of comics and give them clues to help them compose their plots illustrated.
Illustrating Spain in the United States is a creative dialogue that combines the graphic expressiveness of comics and their authors, with the curious perspective of researchers who have written a series of complementary articles. Comic book writers have constructed comics that feed on academic knowledge and demonstrate that Spain is part of American reality long before the very founding of the American country. This Spanish energy continues to be present in the imagination, talent and creativity that emanates from all things Spanish and that fascinates Americans so much. This energy is also found in the scientific thought of the Spaniards who have made the United States their second home while they have made – and continue to make – surprising advances.
More information here: https://www.spainculture.us/digital-projects/illustrating-spain-in-the-us/
Co-sponsored by SPAIN arts & culture. SPAIN arts & culture is organized by the Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain in Washington DC and its network of consulates general, and the Spain-United States Foundation.