We’re excited to introduce you to Camilo Aguirre, the author of What Remains: Personal and Political Histories of Colombia, which will be coming in July. Enjoy a short Q&A with Camilo.
Tell us about you!
I am Camilo Aguirre. I am an artist from Colombia who studied his MFA in Minneapolis. I am very interested in social issues, image systems, documentary formats, and the implementation of anecdotes in storytelling. I love making comics and telling stories.
What can people look forward to discovering from this book?
In What Remains, people might find that history and personal experience are sometimes interweaved, and sometimes they challenge each other. They might find out that countries affect each other with relations of power and diplomacy.
Where can people find you?
Online I have an Instagram (@camil0_aguirre) and a couple websites. My Linktree has more information: https://linktr.ee/camiloaguirre
How long have you worked on this project?
Three years but I could say more. I collected some stories that I found remarkable in 2012.
What’s next for you?
I hope I can keep drawing for a long time.
What inspired you while writing this book?
Uhm. Well, it took three years, so different things. When I was starting, I treasured the stories I had collected, then I tried to explain Colombia to an international audience. The last part was the question of hope and change in my country and in the US.
What was the most challenging part of writing this book?
The most challenging part about writing this book was organizing the stories and thinking of a very diverse audience. I wanted something that could work in Spanish for Colombians and in English for non-Colombians.
If you could ask anyone (dead or alive) to read your book, who would it be and why?
I sincerely don’t know. I am glad Zak Sally, Tom Kaczynski, and some of my friends have read it.
How did you get into comics in the first place?
I studied in a conceptual [art] school in Cali, Colombia. When I was thinking of my artist statement, I was tired of installations and video art. I really liked anecdotes and people’s stories, so I went towards a narrative, illustrated, and sequential medium… and that turned out to be comics.
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