David Schonauer
Peter Kuper Wednesday July 13, 2016
American illustrator and comics artist Peter Kuper is best known for his autobiographical, political, and social observations, all of which were on display in his 2015 book Ruins, a graphic novel about a married couple living in Mexico. The plot mirrors Kuper’s own life — he lived in
Oaxaca, Mexico, with his wife and daughter from 2006 to 2008, and his time there has inspired a great deal of his work since, including that in his 2009 book Diario de Oaxaca. The region has recently been the site of bloodshed amid a teacher’s movement, and, notes Kuper, his work
“might as well have been drawn last week, unfortunately.” Read the full Story >>
By
Peggy Roalf Friday October 7, 2016
In a flurry of emails about climate change and the abysmal tone of the presidential campaign, Peter Kuper sent over some drawings from his archive about the malevolent effect Trump was
exercising on Our Fair City--back in 1989! So as you can imagine he's still at it, and when begged, sent over some recent ones as well. In the spirit of Art Beyond Reason, Peter … Read the full Story >>
By Thursday December 28, 2006
Police NavidadTwas X-mas night in Oaxaca and all through the town,not a teacher was stirring (they're in jail, not around).The graffiti of protest has been covered
with paint and police roam the streets to enforce that it's quaint.All barricades gone, tear gas dissipated,burning buses removed and encampments have faded.It's like nothing has
happened,Gov'nor Ulises pretends, no cheating, nor violence, he'll declare 'til the … Read the full Story >>
By
David Schonauer Wednesday January 18, 2017
American illustrator and comics artist Peter Kuper is best known for his autobiographical, political and social observations, all of which were on display in his 2015 book "Ruins," a graphic novel
about a married couple living in Mexico. The plot mirrors Kuper's own life - he lived in Oaxaca, Mexico, with his wife and daughter from 2006 to 2008. During that time, Kuper and … Read the full Story >>
By
Peggy Roalf Wednesday October 4, 2017
This week, The Nation, founded by abolitionists in 1865, launched a new series of artistic dispatches from the front lines of resistance. Spearheaded by celebrated artists and illustrators
Andrea Arroya, Steve Brodner, and Peter Kuper, OppArt will showcase fresh content daily online as a diverse group of artists take aim and draw. Launched on Monday with art by longtime DART
contributor, Peter Kuper, … Read the full Story >>
By
Peggy Roalf Thursday November 8, 2007
Lions released from a zoo in war-torn Baghdad; the cruel conditions of the sheep industry; an American expatriate searching for her identity in Mexico - serious subject matter for any medium, but
particularly so for a new wave of critically acclaimed and commercially successful graphic novels. This weekend, the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts opens "LitGraphic," a
major exhibition covering the development of … Read the full Story >>
The Creators Project Wednesday January 18, 2017
Earlier this month, we
spotlighted the exhibition “Los
Diez: Selections from Latin American Fotografia and Illustration” at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, California, which features winning work from AI-AP's juried competitions
for art and photography from and about Latin America. In a recent post, the Creators Project blog noted that the group exhibition provides a glimpse of the best Latin American artists working today
— and view of the the cultural history and social landscape of Latin America. TCP singles out work by photographers Justin Negard, Peter Bauza, and Kim Badawi, as well as illustrations by Alejo
Porras and Peter Kuper (see below). The exhibition runs through Jan. 22. Read the full Story >>
By
Peggy Roalf Thursday August 7, 2014
In a moment of heightened awareness one day back in 1995, Peter Kuper, while riding the packed #2 train, began wondering about his fellow passengers and their destinations in a new
way. “Was this trip all we have in common,” he thought, “or might our lives crisscross and impact one another in positive or even catastrophic ways. If the flap
of a butterfly’s wings in … Read the full Story >>
By Friday May 30, 2008
For ages Mexicans have been the butt of jokes for their purported "Manana -- I'll get to it tomorrow" attitude. Synonymous with slow service, drawn out lunches and siestas, they're said to live
their lives at a snail's pace. For a Manhattanite like myself, our move to Mexico was a potential threat - might I be forced to reduce my usual comet-like speed to … Read the full Story >>
By Thursday November 1, 2007
While Halloween in the USA is already a sweet memory, here in Mexico things are still warming up for Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Last year at this time, Oaxaca was exploding with a
teachers strike, federal troops were swarming over the town square and journalist Brad Will was lying dead in a morgue. This year, Oaxaca has, by outward appearances … Read the full Story >>
By Tuesday January 9, 2007
AFTER EXPERIENCING MONTHS OF OAXACA CITY'S TRAVAILS, we decided to
enjoy the bigger picture of Oaxaca State during the holidays. This region of Mexico boasts a greater variety of ecological environments than any other part of the country, from dusty brown mountain
ranges to deep blue coastlines. An especially incredible area includes the beaches surrounding Puerto Escondido, or Hidden Port. I first visited there … Read the full Story >>
By
Peggy Roalf Thursday July 20, 2017
The 2017 Summer Invitational: Pimp Your Sketchbook, in which artists show their personal work and open a window onto their creative process, continues with Peter Kuper, who lives and
works in New York, and practically wrote the book on sketchbooks. Spread from Amman (with a little bit of Petra on the lower left)
Thanks to an invitation to teach a comics workshop, I had the … Read the full Story >>
By
Dart Admin Monday July 9, 2007
Editor's note: To celebrate the release of his new graphic novel, the normally reclusive Peter Kuper agreed to take a few questions about his book, Stop Forgetting To Remember. When we looked to find an appropriate interviewer the obvious choice was cartoonist Walter
Kurtz. After all, Kuper's new book is the autobiography of Mr. Kurtz. -PR Walter Kurtz: Let me start by
asking-where … Read the full Story >>
By Monday June 23, 2008
To avoid the inevitable pitfalls of returning to Manhattan this week, after a two year hiatus in Oaxaca, Mexico, I've decided to give myself a set of rules and reminders to help weather the
transition. Draw in sketchbook every day -- religiously. Left: Madre Mexico, Time Travels. Right; Buggin' Out! From Peter Kuper's sketchbook, copyright and courtesy of the artist. Avoid
peppering every … Read the full Story >>
By Thursday February 14, 2008
A couple of mornings ago I was fixing breakfast for my daughter, Emily, when the entire kitchen began to shake as if a freight train was racing past the back door. It lasted all of ten seconds,
punctuated by a shout from my wife asking if I'd felt the earthquake. Hitting 6.4 on the Richter scale, it immediately made news around the world. I … Read the full Story >>
By
Peggy Roalf Wednesday October 26, 2022
Since DART: Design Arts Daily launched in September 2006, artist/illustrators and their sketchbooks have been a constant presence, starting with Peter Kuper’s Oaxaca Journal on November 10, 2006. The series continued with another 15 installments, which resulted in the publication of Diario de Oaxaca (Bilingual, PM Press, 2009)—a beautifully produced volume with a linen cover. The book saw some high visibility, and … Read the full Story >>
By Thursday January 24, 2008
It has been over a year since the U.S. State Department lifted its travel warning against visiting Oaxaca, Mexico. This had been a death sentence to the economy, which is largely dependent on
tourism. Hotels were empty, restaurants empty, tour buses empty, pockets empty. Flash forward to the end of last December. The streets are now full of vendors selling an explosion of colorful … Read the full Story >>
By
Peggy Roalf Wednesday May 18, 2022
Here in Oaxaca, Mexico they say to foreigners— “If you eat the chapulinas (grasshoppers) you will always return.” This magic formula has certainly held true for me– since I downed a few back in 2006, I’ve been returning annually. On this latest visit—a three-month stay– I’ve decided to get a booster dose while expanding my palate to include ants, caterpillars, and several other arthropods. … Read the full Story >>
By
Keren Katz Wednesday June 5, 2013
Editor’s note: In May, Peter Kuper made a presentation on his new book, Drawn to New York PM Press 2013), at The New York Comics & Picture-Story Symposium, a weekly forum for discussing the tradition and future of text/image work. This report is based on his commentary at that event.
Peter Kuper’s personal connection to New York began in 1977 when he disembarked a bus from … Read the full Story >>
By
Peggy Roalf Thursday June 9, 2016
Peter Kuper, a charter friend of DART, will be enjoying a career retrospective exhibition opening next Thursday at Scott Eder Gallery, in Brooklyn. As if he didn’t already have enough to
do, I sent him a page of questions. Here’s what he wrote: Q: What were you doing immediately before you picked up a pencil to make your first drawing? A: At age four or … Read the full Story >>
