Ana Galvañ’s pieces are like surrealist scenes from a sci-fi comic book. There’s almond-eyed people with empty stares and expressionless faces, and sometimes you’ll find a bunch of unidentified objects flying around. It’s slightly unsettling in the best kind of way – like there is some kind of adventure lurking around the corner, about to unfold.
“I like to work on imaginary worlds in which any surreal event is possible, but it's based on realistic surroundings. In that way, the surprise of absurd scenarios causes a bigger impact. I guess creating fantastic universes is one of the reasons I like to draw and tell stories,” Ana says.
So in these worlds Ana creates, situations which seem real are remixed into some sort of strange fever dream. Things feel familiar, but they don’t follow the usual rules. The futuristic elements and pink-purple haze add to this mysterious atmosphere.
“I’m a comic book artist by nature, rather than an illustrator, so there’s always this narrative element present in my pieces, even when I make a single illustration,” Ana explains.
But it’s not only the way she uses narrative that brings to mind comic books. Most of Ana’s pieces have a grainy texture which, when mixed with her graphic style and clear lines, conjure up this same art form.
“I have always tried to remove the coldness from my digital works, adding worn textures or screen dots. I also usually add some vintage Photoshop filters, which change the original colors,” she says.
The results are intriguing – like the girl running through a hallway, followed by a heap of geometric shapes. That texture brings a richness to the piece that would be hard to recreate using just flat colors.
And then of course, there’s that lovely element of surrealism, which gives you the feeling you’ve walked right into the middle of something. The objects seem harmless enough at first glance, but why is she running? What happens if they catch her?
“Now that I think of it, I suppose it has more psychological background than I imagined,” Ana says. “Like when you think that fleeing forward is the only way to escape your ghosts from the past, but they chase you wherever you go. Or perhaps the feeling of living within an oppressive system from which it is difficult to escape.”
