COSMIC FIGURES
DAC Gallery
March 7, 2020

DAC Gallery presents, Cosmic Figures, a group exhibition showcasing ECF San Pedro artist, Jamie Arenas, a selection of illustrative work from various ECF artists, and the personal zine library of guest curator, Sophia Zarders. The exhibition explores the exciting intersections of comics, portraiture, and zines within the genres of illustration and graphic arts. In addition to featuring the otherworldly works of Jamie Arenas, Cosmic Figures was organized to highlight and celebrate the world of graphic novels and DIY publishing as they become widely recognized within the contemporary art world.

The work of Jamie Arenas thoughtfully explores biology, mythology, and beauty. Arenas’ unique approach to her subjects adds to the illustrious history of outsider art. Her abstracted psychedelic figures are often dissected on multiple planes, creating a mesmerizing anatomical display. Organic bioforms flow in and out of each other with exposed vertebrae and third omniscient eyes. Iconography is rampant in Jamie’s work, but her concepts are always grounded. Like that of the cosmos, a face is a microbe is a planet is a mandala.

After years of creating, selling, trading, and collecting zines, Sophia has become a prominent “zinester” in the local community and has always prioritized uplifting fellow creators in the DIY publishing and alternative art scenes. Cosmic Figures invites viewers to engage with the curator’s personal zine collection. Along with the zine library, illustrative works by various artists outline the perimeter of the gallery. The pieces range from comic compositions to watercolor figures. Each work showcases the raw artmaking, abstracted forms, and dry humor specific to alternative illustration and peripheral comics communities. 

Sophia Zarders is a curator, fine artist, and zine creator from Long Beach, CA. Their illustrations and comics pull from spiritualities, pop culture, intersectional feminism, and their complicated life as a Black femme in the United States. Sophia received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Illustration from California State University, Long Beach. 

Featured Artists: Jamie Arenas, Kelvin Belt, Tammy Brackens, Mycah Christian-Mays, Sheryll Jackson, Antwan Jones, Bo Lim, Reggie Martin, and Noretta Quiroz