Where can I see her art?
Instagram: @camdelafu
Webpage: https://camdelafu.mx/
Cow parade at Reforma street in Mexico City (from July 21-Sept 01, 2024)
Calavera at Parque Bicentenario in Mexico City
Camila de la Fuente is a cartoonist, illustrator and journalist from Caracas, Venezuela who lives and works in Mexico City. She graduated as a journalist from Anahuac University. She has worked for Rolling Stone, published in El Universal and Te lo cuento News and is part of Cartoonist for Peace. She is a multifaceted woman. Who paints with primary vivid colors landscapes of home and dogs, and at the same time uses the shadow of her pencil to portray messages of reality.
And yes, the little woman fishing feels like me digging into Camila's mind.
Her Story
" I have always loved drawing. The other day I found a drawing from when I was five years old of thieves stealing turtle eggs. Even then I would report the thieves. I believe having been raised in Venezuela, I was exposed to the political scene since I was little. I was encouraged to ask questions and my parents would explain to me what was happening. My dad always passed me the newspaper's cartoon pages and he had graphic humor books like Tin tin and Mafalda. On the other hand, my mom is a psychologist. Back in Caracas she would see crazy cases of the realities of the country. I believe I learned from her the importance of listening and understanding. Both my parents supported me when I told them I wanted to be an artist, and they still do. "
Camila was born in Caracas and when she was twenty years old she moved to Mexico running from the political turmoil in Venezuela.
" I moved to Mexico because I have family here, my great grandfather was Mexican. I was heavily involved with the student protests in Caracas during 2014 (*). I was part of the Universidad Monteavila's student council. I lived and saw things that honestly scared me away. And right when the protests were dying down I received an email that I have gotten a scholarship to study in Mexico. "
(*) In 2014, Venezuela was going through civil unrest and political uprising against "El Chavismo" due to high levels of violence, inflation, scarcity of food and basic goods and water and electric shortages.
How was the transition of moving to a new country? And how did it impact your work?
" I lived in two worlds. I lived in Mexico while my cartoons still narrated what was happening in Venezuela. However, I realized that if I wanted to live here I needed to open my spectrum. You see, sometimes cartoons are tied to a moment in time, to a specific context. But I wanted to cover the world, including both Venezuela and Mexico. I am interested in covering politics, economy, human relationships, psychology, injustice, but mostly human rights. "
She expressed her discomfort when someone asks about her cartoons covering feminism.
" It is not that I am not interested. It is just that people assume this is the only thing you cover because you are a woman. Actually, now at days, violence against women is a big subject in Mexico which is closely linked to the culture and narcotraffic. Now that I am pregnant, I find feminism even more important. And am currently working on a femicide book. "
" How am I going to give my daughter the tools to live in this reality? ", she asks herself out loud.
How has your work evolved through the years?
" Before I felt more compelled to call out and report what was happening. I was more reactive. Now, I take more time to think and process before starting to draw. Sometimes I would feel my impostor syndrome creeping in. Don't get me wrong I am greatly thankful for my life. But my best work does not come from reading the news while sitting on my couch. I look to insert myself in whatever I am trying to portray in my cartoons. To dive in. To live it first hand. To accomplish this I work with ONGs that help me get closer to the events and problems I am tackling with my cartoons. I have visited jails, visited refugees in Ciudad Juarez and have spoken to the mothers of the girls that disappeared. And found out that maybe the best way to be creative is by listening. Listening to the stories first hand. "
What are you working on now?
" I am working on some children's books. I want children to not be afraid to ask questions. Books have a way of ending up involving the whole family and they serve as a bridge to talk about complicated issues and feelings like jealousy, injustice, immigration, death, and gender equality. I also intervened a cow statue as part of the 'cow parade' (*) that will be displayed in Reforma Street in Mexico City starting this Sunday (July 21- Sept 01, 2024). But my preferred (spoiled baby) type of work is drawing cartoons. I would love to publish daily. "
(*) The cow parade started in 1998. It is the world's largest public art event that raises funds for non-profit organizations worldwide. Real-size cows are intervened by local artists.
What is on your radar now of what is happening in the world?
" There are so many things. I see an issue with mental health, human rights specifically women's, racism and classism in Mexico specially against indigenous communities, there is no real or objective source of news, and the impact of social media. The polarity in the United States of being Pro-Trump or Pro-Biden is concerning. Listening to someone speak for either side feels like they live in a different country, as if the two sides live on parallel realities. But I believe it is important you can criticize both sides. Anywhere really. It is important to have the opportunity to openly criticize both the government and the opposition. "
She speaks the last sentence implying this has not always been the case in Venezuela or Mexico. And beautifully demonstrates it with the cartoon below.
What is your favorite book?
" I am obsessed with my Kindle. If I had to choose one, I would say "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury, "Educated" by Tara Westover, "El hombre que amaba a los perros" by Leonardo Padura, "La cabeza de mi padre" by Alma Delia Murillo and "El pasajero de Truman" by Francisco Suniaga. "
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