Power Paola (born Paola Andrea Gaviria Silguero; June 20, 1977) is a Colombian-Ecuadorian
cartoonist
A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and ...
. She is the author of graphic memoirs ''Virus Tropical'' (2011)'','' ''Por Dentro'' (2012), ''Diario'' (2013), ''qp'' (2014), ''Todo Va a Estar Bien (2015) and Nos vamos (2016)''. Her work deals with themes of
sexuality
Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...
,
feminism
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
, family, and personal identity.
She is a member of the international comics collective Chicks on Comics.
Biography
Early life
Paola Gaviria, known by the pen name Power Paola, was born in
Quito, Ecuador
Quito (; qu, Kitu), formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital and largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its urban area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha. Quito is located in a valley on ...
. During her mother's pregnancy, a doctor insisted that she was not pregnant but was the victim of a "tropical virus." Her family moved to
Cali, Colombia
Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,227,642 residents according to the 2018 census. The city spans with of urban area, making Cali the secon ...
when she was 13 and she studied at the Fundación Universitaria de Bellas Artes in Medellin, where she cofounded the art collective Taller 7. She describes herself as a "
nomad
A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the popu ...
" and has since lived in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
,
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
,
San Salvador
San Salvador (; ) is the capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department. It is the country's political, cultural, educational and financial center. The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, which comprises the capital i ...
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
.
Comics
Power Paola initially worked as painter, then started reading the work of comics artists like
Marjane Satrapi
Marjane Satrapi (; fa, مرجان ساتراپی ; born 22 November 1969) is a French-Iranian graphic novelist, cartoonist, illustrator, film director, and children's book author. Her best-known works include the graphic novel ''Persepolis'' a ...
and
Julie Doucet
Julie Doucet (born December 31, 1965) is a Canadian
Flickr
Flickr ( ; ) is an American image hosting and video hosting service, as well as an online community, founded in Canada and headquartered in the United States. It was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and was a popular way for amateur and professional ...
and as print
zine
A zine ( ; short for '' magazine'' or '' fanzine'') is a small-circulation self-published
Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to writ ...
s. In 2011, Argentinian publisher Editorial Comun published her memoir ''Virus Tropical,'' which tells the story of Paola's childhood growing up as a rebellious daughter in a conservative Colombian family dominated by strong women. The book was met with critical praise and republished in English and French by
Random House
Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...
/
Mondadori
Arnoldo Mondadori Editore () is the biggest publishing company in Italy.
History
The company was founded in 1907 in Ostiglia by 18-year-old Arnoldo Mondadori who began his publishing career with the publication of the magazine ''Luce!''. In 1 ...
. Critics have noted her loose drawing style and intimate voice. Of ''Virus Tropical'', reviewer said, "Using a strongly expressive naïve style, Paola creates a very personal comic, with a clear feminine voice, that is a standard bearer of the comic of those latitudes." Reviewer Abril Castillo Cabrera compared reading the book to visiting a
therapist
Therapist is a person who offers any kinds of therapy. Therapists are trained professionals in the field of any types of services like psychologists, social workers, counsellors, life coachers and others. They are helpful in counselling individuals ...
, writing that Power Paola creates "an atmosphere that we can access, a story with a beginning and a closing, an elaboration of her life and a bridge that tends to the lives of others who read it."
Her work was shown at Fundacion PROA in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
as part of the ''Chicks on Comics'' exhibition "Long Distance Relationship" in 2017.
''Virus Tropical'' became a movie in 2017.
Bibliography
* ''Virus Tropical'' (2011)
* ''Por Dentro'' (2012)Josep Oliver
* ''Diario'' (2013)
* ''qp'' (2014)
* ''Todo Va a Estar Bien (2015)''
*''Nos vamos (2016)''