Zeke Peña

While we never got the chance to meet with Zeke while in town, we absolutely adore his work and had to share it with you. We were first introduced to his illustrations by an interview he had last year on Remezcla, and have been following him on social media @zpvisual ever since. We’re moved by the ways he’s appropriated the form of the comic to represent the humanity of indigenous, Xicanx, and Mexican/Mexican-American subjects, and to bring light to the absurdity of U.S. border imperialism. Viewing his illustrations, it feels as though Zeke is breathing life into history, documenting this contemporary moment to propose alternative futures where border culture is celebrated instead of punished. Some of his recent subject matter includes imagery for an El Paso-based social movement to preserve the historic Barrio Duranguito from illegal teardowns, and custom illustration for Vice in support of a Clean Dream Act.

For a full listing of Zeke’s work, check out his website. In addition, you can buy some of his work, including prints, zines, and books, at the link here.

In Zeke’s own words: “I’m a cartoonist, an illustrator and a painter working on the US/MX frontera in El Paso, Tejas. Most of my work is inspired by living on the border and remixes historical narratives with what’s going on today. I use comics to subvert American history and reclaim stories that were burned by colonialism; resistencia one cartoon at a time. I also do community work for organizations in my region and across the country. I’m currently working on a few comic and book projects including an illustrated history of the US/MX Border.”

Below is a sample of Zeke’s work, including the series entitled The River that Became a War Zone, originally featured in The Nib. The featured image is Zeke at the Art Insitute of Chicago, where he staged a Zine Intervention to disrupt the overwhelmingly white gallery space with these flashes of illustration.