Wobby #38 – Unpave the Way delves into themes such as environmental activism, social justice, and the power of community. This issue will have you questioning the place of plants in our so-called ‘natural hierarchy’. What is our role as the human species in shaping nature? Is it hubris to think that we should? Do we think we are above nature, or are we merely a part of this ever-evolving system?
Perhaps we can learn from the ways of Gladys the spider plant, who lives without pretences and doesn’t have to contend with billionaires hoarding resources and disturbing the ecosystem. Or the garlic gone wild, which, despite not fitting in and losing its comfort, made its own journey and found its community.
The centerfold of Wobby #38, made by Sunflower Soup (NL)
Wobby #38 is co-curated by Sunflower Soup, a collective that explores collaborative action through art and activism. It is the second issue of Wobby that was created in collaboration with a guest curator. In 2024, Wobby presents four issues made in collaboration with artist collectives, reminiscent of Wobby’s early days as a DIY collective, giving way for even more visual experiments and a wider range of artists, beyond our horizon.
Sunflower Soup’s aim for this Wobby was to include collective creative action and underrepresented voices, targeting a conversation about justice, representation, and the power of art to effect change. Alongside the work of 14 illustrators, comic and visual artists, Unpave the Way features drawings made by the residents of Parc Assisië, a vast estate for people with psychiatric disabilities, north of the Wobby HQ in Tilburg, and with whom Wobby worked together before.
Illustrations made by the residents of Parc Assisië (NL)
Residents of Parc Assisië
The artworks created by the residents of Parc Assisië bring together a unique perspective to the issue. Assisië is a site near the city of Tilburg founded by monks 120 years ago. Its name refers to Francis of Assisi, the medieval rebel who valued all living beings equally, rejected material possessions, and was famous for preaching to birds.
The central idea of Sunflower Soup was to create space for voices that are often pushed away, be it of non-professional imaginators or plants. With the residents of Assisië, they held workshops envisioning what they would look like if they were plants themselves. The very personal pieces of Piet, Semsinor, Danielle, Ans, Josefien, Joyce, Wim, Rudy, Carla, Jackie, Marianne, Vera, Tamara, Ankie, Wendy, Marlous, Gerry, Wim, Joost, Francis, and DJ Dennis reflect the inner worlds of individuals often overlooked by mainstream society.
The cover of Wobby #38, made by Marishka Soekarna (ID/NL)
Marishka Soekarna
Marishka Soekarna is the cover artist of Unpave the Way. Marishka is a visual artist from Indonesia, who recently moved to the Netherlands. She tells us that the opportunity to create the cover of Wobby has been a new start for her. “I'm learning something new, adjusting to the new ecosystem, making new friends, and enjoying every process of it.”
“My father is an outdoorsy guy and a green thumb, so I grew up in a house that felt like a jungle,” Marishka says. “As an introvert, that ‘jungle’ was my playground and I had many ‘pet’ friends as my companions. I have fond memories of it. I've always felt a connection with nature; it tremendously gives me peace, but it also terrifies me in some ways.”
“I firmly believe that if I'm kind to nature, it will be kind to me in return, which gives me a sense of security, fairness and peace of mind. Additionally, I love the idea from Sunflower Soup about how the world would look if plants were dominant and I believe that in the end, us humans will never be bigger than nature. I tried to capture these ideas and feelings in my drawing for the Wobby cover.”
Illustrations made by Timon Vader (NL)
Timon Vader
Dutch illustrator and multimedia visual artist Timon Vader – who currently works on the research project ‘Tuin Voor Tijd’ (Garden for Time), about the connection between art, ecological development, and climate adaptation – created a three-page image story for Wobby #38. “I've been fascinated by the relationship between humans and nature for quite some time, especially in cities. I came on the radar for this Wobby because I was (and still am) working on a project about how art can contribute to a robust greening and rewilding of the city, so I was already deeply involved in the subject,” he says.
He was already familiar with the story of Francis before working on this issue: “I learned a lot from my mother about Saint Francis; we always had many animals at home - and he is the patron saint of animals. I can remember a children's book about his life. Plus, my birthday is the day before Animal Day, so there's also a kind of connection there.”
“Regarding the approach to the story for this Wobby, I tried to focus on speaking and listening, in a narrative sense. Through Francis, I wanted to question what listening actually is, whom we listen to, and who speaks. Speaking happens in the human world with words, but in a basic sense, it is a way of signaling to others of your kind, or other species. For instance, the colours of flower petals are also a kind of conversation, or exclamation, to the insects that pollinate those flowers.”
Hearing about the title ‘Unpave the Way’, Timon felt a strong connection to the subject, “It ties very much to my urge to work beyond my paper and de-pave/detile the city; to bring new perspectives to light, to let non-human voices be heard... However, it's also a bit double-edged since I am a human trying to translate these voices. I find it a beautiful umbrella phrase inviting us to turn over the stones that form the path on which we've arrived today - both in personal individual reflection and in reflecting on societal themes such as agriculture, colonialism, etc.”
Illustrations made by Rebecca Cottrell (UK)
Background
Sunflower Soup was founded in 2021 with the aim of combining art and activism. It consists of visual artists who are active in climate, housing, anti-racism, and war protests. Wobby.club has been the leading platform for autonomous illustration since 2015, based in the Netherlands.
Wobby #38 – Unpave the Way continues Wobby’s focus on the green world as shown in Wobby #30 – Overgrown and even in one of Wobby’s first issues, Wobby #2 – The Garden, combining it with a more engaged stance, as demonstrated in Wobby #37 – Far From Home, featuring artists from Ukraine.
Participants Wobby #38 – Unpave the Way
Anne Francien (NL), Arantza Peña Popo (CO/US), Boris de Leijer (NL), Fishra (UK/NL), Halima Aziz (PS/DE), Kaja Meyer (DK/DE), Marika Vandekraats (CA/NL), Mariken Heitman (NL), Oimizi (KR), Rebecca Cottrell (UK), Residents of Parc Assisië (NL), Timon Vader (NL), Vic Hoogstoël (FR/NL)
Cover by Marishka Soekarna (ID/NL)
Centerfold & limited edition print by Sunflower Soup (NL)
Contact
Would you like more information about this edition of Wobby? Please contact us at info@wobby.club.