Wobby #32 – COZY COSMOS: MAKE YOUR OWN STORY AND DREAM ON

By Simone Vos

“The theme ‘Cozy Cosmos’ is well connected with my own work and life. I’m really interested in the way the body relates to the cosmos. I read a lot of books about the energy of the cosmos and get my inspiration from these books”, states visual artist Dan Zhu (CN). For Wobby #32 she made the centerfold. We interviewed Dan about her way of working, along with illustrator María Medem (ES), who made the cover and a 6-page comic spread.

“I prefer that my stories, especially mute and short stories like this one for Wobby, have room of interpretation for the reader. I don't feel comfortable explicating what he or she must read, or guiding her or him; I prefer to let the reader enjoy and understand what the story has to say.”, María Medem explains about her work in Wobby #32. Medem studied Fine Arts at the University of Sevilla. “I would describe myself as someone that enjoys drawing and loves to learn and discover new approaches. Also, I’ve the urge to finish the projects that I start - I need to see them done - which is something very helpful in this job”, she tells us.

Autonomous work

Dan Zhu studied Art and Design at the ‘Hochschule für Kunst und Gestaltung in Offenbach am Main, Fine Arts at KASK Gent and attended the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam. “I studied advertising design in China, but I really wanted to learn how to make art. I read in a book about a Japanese guy that went to an art academy in Germany and it inspired me to go there too. I applied for three schools in Germany and got accepted by one. There I learned so much and it was really like a dream come true”, Dan says. “My main work is autonomous, and I like to make the work the way I want it. I interpret my work as another viewer, that’s how I work. For this centerfold, I based my drawings on an illustration that I created previously. I developed it and made it into a cosmos. The planets are transformed into eyes, and I drew feathers in the work. I also get my inspiration from nature and that’s part of my work.”

Second time in Wobby

María also relished the theme Cozy Cosmos: “The topic, Cozy Cosmos, was very open but quite inspirational. For the cover I tried to imagine where I wanted to be, and for the comic I was inspired directly by my experiences”, she explains. “The idea of working with a topic and with a limited palette, is also challenging in a very pleasant way. Also, I made a comic some years ago for Wobby (in 2019, for Wobby #17) and doing it again is very cool. I perfectly remember the process of the first one and it’s nice comparing and seeing what things have changed in my way of working and what remains the same.”

Besides working as a freelance illustrator for different newspapers and magazines like The New Yorker, The Guardian and New York Times, María also makes her own books. “All of them are different in terms of inspiration, but what remains the same is the way of working. When I have an idea, I write it down, that’s the first thing I do. When I have the text - as if it were a novel - I start drawing but having that text as a guide”, she says. “Currently, I have just finished a comic on which I’ve worked for over three years. it’s the longest I’ve ever drawn, more than 300 pages, and it’s going to be out in February in Spain. This has been the longest and hardest process I’ve been involved in, but finally it’s over, although I won’t be relieved until I see it in person, printed. I think that’s when I always feel that the process is over.”

Wobby #32 – Cozy Cosmos and the signed & limited edition art print are now available in our webshop.