Sometimes peace is better found in absence and distance
Can you tell us about what you wanted to convey with this piece of artwork? What were some inspirations or ideas you wanted to consider when you were creating it?
I decided to go against the message that forgiveness is necessary for healing, and to draw on personal reflections about reconciliation, trauma and the physical symptoms that can sometimes arise from internalized conflict. Thus, this story starts from a personal point of view, but can also find a more social meaning: on whom is reconciliation most often based?
Why is reconciliation as a theme important to you?
Reconciliation is important to me, but not at any price. I'm talking about self-respect here: about how easy it is to forget ourselves if we desperately want to keep somebody, even if it causes us harm. Reconciliation is like love or friendship, it is a work that needs to be done jointly, in respect, listening and equality. It is a conversation that must go both ways. But the absence of reconciliation does not necessarily mean the presence of conflict. Sometimes peace is better found in absence and distance.
What was the creative process like in creating this artwork? (Do you map it out in a plan beforehand, do you work on text first and then illustration or vice versa? You can also talk about the medium or methods you use in creating the work.)
I started by writing the text. When I have an idea for a short comic strip, I increasingly tend to write some rhythmic phrases on my cell phone, a bit like a poem. I then use them to give rhythm to the images to which they inspire me.
I decided to do the drawing with a wooden pencil for a "warmer" and more textured rendering, and with digital solid colors to better occupy the space. The emphasis is on the body of the character and the text, both responding to each other.