"¿Què haces cuando todo arde?"

How did I meet Luna? Hmmm well! Our love for ZINES! Especially at the workshops held at Trucha. I have a particular interest in zines. While I feel every time I tackle my own zines they don't always come out the way its intended, but it's something. Looking through the ARDE series created by Luna it's so cool. Luna has definitely created a personal series filled with their illustrations, words of vulnerability, themselves, but it's just so charming. I remember when Luna handed me a copy of their zine. It's one in my collection of zines, but it truly did introduce me a bit more of who "Luna" is. Now on that topic, here is a little more about Luna @la_lunatam

So we met through ZINES I'd say! I want to ask, what is your interest in zines personally as Luna says "I think when you make Zines the medium is part of the message, because you are choosing a printed method over posting things on social media, tweeting, making a reel or a tiktok. Zines are choosing to talk to people, to walk up to someone and say 'hey, i`ve made this and i want you to have it!'" It's interesting how art reflects the artist. The colors, designs ect ect, but ZINES dig a bit more deeper because it can be about anything involving various pages. Hell, some zines aren't created again or even posted on social media (me thinking about the zines in my room I haven't shared since 2023). Luna continues by saying"I’m also interested in how easy it is to share your artwork through zines, if you’re creative enough you don’t even need a computer to edit your zine, just paper and maybe a printer to copy it. It really is that easy making zines. I still write the poems and draw the drawings with pen and paper, scan them and edit them on free softwares, for me the quality is not the main point, the point is being able to communicate thru physical media, something you can read and touch." Especially knowing Luna has created several of these and just knowing each one is different by holding various forms of content inside. Dude, it even has a track-list! Funny enough, this past weekend I went through my stack of zines. How refreshing.

Zines/Revista or rather ARDE, what I want to know is how this craft allows you to express yourself how you wish.in your zine series called ARDE as Luna states "In every magazine I pose the question ¿Què haces cuando todo arde? (what do you do when everything burns?), so my way of expressing myself through my zines is answering that question. Sometimes there’s a literal answer, for example in ARDE#3 the answer is that when everything burns i can’t sleep.

But the bigger, general answer that is that i like to create stuff. When it feels like everything burns, I like to make art. It gives chaos purpose, and we are living in a pretty chaotic time. I hope that by expressing the way i feel, through drawings, photographs and poems, people can relate and try to find the purpose on the Chaos. I hope people ask themselves the same question.

It allows me to express the things i feel in a useful way"Thinking of zines, my friend Lupe created the history of the McAllen system behind the police and jailing instances. Taking chaos, taking in history which repeats itself into an educational matter! Zines can spread messages during chaos for others to take in and be aware! This "chaos" can be used speak out loud, but especially for ourselves in what matters most. Besides this, zines are ours and are an expression we release y'know. Now I want to look through my Arde copies."

How did ARDE come to be? Was the first zine ROMA the seed planted? Could you also share about your zine ROMA as Luna states "ROMA was actually the second Zine, the first one I ever made was a small showcase of my block print and linocut stamps. I had never seen anyone work with linocut stamps in Reynosa before, so I thought it would be cool to have a small zine explaining how it’s used and the results. Then came ROMA. When I moved from reynosa I was pretty lonely. I became obsessed with the album 'la historia sin fin' by Porter, and specifically the song ROMA. In its lyrics it talks about the creation and history of the world, and every time I listen to it I can't help thinking of my partner. It’s very important to me that she knows how much i think of her, so i made a zine. The zine is also based on the roman phrase 'panem et circenses' (bread and circuses), my partner likes clowns and the song is named Roma, so i thought it was pretty fitting.

I would say ROMA did sort of plant the seeds for my other Zines, since it’s based on and directly uses the lyrics from one of my favorite songs. Every single piece of art that i’ve made, i’ve made it with music blasting on my headphones, and in every ARDE you can see how certain pages are made with a specific song in mind.

Zine history is tightly related to various music scenes, and for me music is really important, which is also why every ARDE has a playlist in it. I think of it as a snapshot of the time and headspace that i was in while making the zines, i can look at what songs i was listening to and how each one inspired me to draw or write something. I hope that by sharing those songs other people can feel inspired by them too."

You also have markets in Mexico, Reynosa correct? What would you say the difference is in the markets between both locations? "Zines aren’t as big of a thing in Mexico as they are in the US. Yes, There are famous fanzine artists on big cities with big art scenes, but in Reynosa it’s rare to see someone actually interested in Zines. Since I started making magazines I've seen more people begin to ask questions and try to start their own projects. There’s been a few online magazines and also a few artists sharing their printed work, and that was my main goal, to see other people working on this medium.In mission and mcallen there is more of a Zine scene. Personally, i love both sides. In Reynosa I get to share everything I know about zines and in the RGV i can see what artists are making and grow my collection. Both sides make me feel like i’m being part of Zine History, and i can only hope to see the scene grow." I remember you handing me your zine and the independent magazine you're a part of (working on the interview). You'd share with me about events you'd be popping up at at Reynosa and id ask about how it's like over there to which you'd respond "we'll see who comes" but it's due to what Luna mentioned "it's rare to see someone actually interested in zines." I mean even as recently Luna was able to share their zines via the 20x26 exhibition. Having their zines hanging for the public to go through!

Aside from Zines you also involve yourself in other mediums. Could you share a few examples of what those are as Luna exclaims "For me every piece of art that I want to make is a problem that I have to solve: An image pops up into my head and now I need to figure out what materials to use so I can bring it to life. In that sense, every project is like an experiment of mediums.

My favorite materials are markers, when markers are about to run out they give my drawings a certain texture that digital art can’t mimic. Of course pencil drawings, digital art and illustrations, collages, and linocut, there is also a small bit of photo editing in my work. I tend to work in whatever catches my interest. Why would i work in something boring? I need to make it challenging, fun, interesting, that´s why i tend to use different media" I can only imagine the scraping and rubbing of the markers as it's final drops go against paper. Sure there are various brushes to download online, but here. Once it's on paper, its set, it's final. It's one of a kind and as Luna mentions it can't be replicated. Luna continues by saying "like I mentioned, I started doing linocut prints before I started making zines, because I was interested in more hands-on ways to make multiple copies of my drawings. Printing stickers isn’t as fun as carving a stamp and physically putting ink to paper. Also there’s writing. I wouldn’t consider myself a writer, though some of my zines do have a few texts that in my opinion are more like complaints than actual writing. But also, my zines contain a few poem sections that my friend Daniela Hernandez helps me write, as well as some texts she wrote." Even with a few pieces of writing, it adds to YOUR zine. It's yours, your moment, and your expression y'know.

How do you wish to continue your artwork?

I wish to make it more serious, more organized, more like an actual project than a hobby. Zines are great for sharing information, but, what am i really sharing? Mainly, i’m taking my time thinking about this

ARDE #6 - I have the majority of them and I love going through them. What could we see in the new one? "Every zine has a theme, though it might not be stated in each one, and ARDE#6 was supposed to be the 'Seasonal Affective Disorder Special Episode.'  (I studied psychology so most themes are related, ARDE#3 was Insomnia, ARDE#4 was Cognitive dissonance, etc.)Seasonal Affective Disorder is basically wintertime depression, and it’s because this zine was supposed to be done before winter was over, and now we’re halfway thru summer." Actually, I remember one of the moments you came to screenprint and you created a psychology design! A throwback I dug from my brain haha. Luna continues by saying "expect big changes on the next zines! After procrastinating through 6 numbers i plan on making this a more organized, serious (not really) magazine. i want to work with more people on my zines, imagine a collective Arde? i wonder what people would answer to the question ¿Qué haces cuando todo arde?" Dude on the previous question about "how do you wish to continue your art work?" I was thinking to myself hmmm what about a collective arde zine, but you beat me to it! I know Never Before Zine has done collective thematic zines for example. Even doing it with your friends or hmmm maybe a zine exchange/meet up in the area! To meet and gather artists to your pool to see what can be done to create this collaborative zine. I can imagine it now <3

Do you have any final comments you'd like to make or anything else you'd like to share about your work? "The concept of Zines contains in itself a lot more stuff than just homemade printed magazines and mini zines. Recipe books, playlists, shopping lists, instructions. People can make zines out of anything if they really put their mind to it." 

WE LOVE ZINES IN THIS HOUSE!!!!!