By Lyona, illustrator and filmmaker
I have read that in Spain more than one and a half million people resort to Food Banks and that some 220,000 are children. It seems surreal to me that today there are children without good nutrition so close to us. It's shocking to think that this still happens. I believe that people are supportive by nature but, sometimes, in this individualistic and accelerated society,we only look forward, when we should look a little more around, stop to observe and try to help. When they proposed that I participate in the "No child without a mustache" milk collection campaign by "la Caixa" Social Project, I said yes immediately. First, because I have always found it much more interesting to participate in solidarity projects than in those with solely commercial purposes. Second, because it seems incredible to me that,with a simple glass of milk, a child obtains so much. And third, because lately I've been working a lot with children and I think they are the best!"In this individualistic and fast-paced society, we should look around a little more."I believe that art changes people, it enriches them. That's why I try to be very honest in everything I do, to show myself as I am, and to create a pleasant sensation in the viewer, to make them enjoy, to become passionate. I am passionate about cinema, music, drawing... and I like to transmit that passion in my works. That's why I didn't want to evoke pity with Rita's story, but rather show how beautiful this girl's life is, until the black monster of hunger comes and can no longer be herself. The idea was to talk about this very raw topic in a beautiful and fantastical way. Because I believe that illusion is more effective than sadness. I suppose we are already immunized against sadness. And, whatever the case, optimism suits me better.
«Illusion is more effective than sadness.»I knew the protagonist was going to be named Rita ever since I drew her. I think it's a very cheerful name and perfect for a girl with such a rich inner world and so many friends. I created the monster from the or of empty. I didn't want to make a terrible monster like something out of a nightmare —it already is in real life— so I gave it legs and arms and made it simple. Its power is that it grows and takes up more space in Rita's world, until she can no longer run around the schoolyard, or concentrate in class, she doesn't feel like playing... But the story, titled, by the way, Everyone Against the Void, has a happy ending, right? Rita's friends realize what is happening to her, and one day one of them gives her some milk from their carton and, from then on, all the children start sharing with her, the void shrinks, and Rita becomes the cheerful and imaginative girl she once was again. In this story, the void is hunger, but it can be many other things. I once had a very big void due to heart issues that only went away with work. And right now, I would say that our biggest social void is the separation between us and those who lead us. It happens in all countries, it seems we are going in a direction that terrifies me: individualistic, not very supportive… But at the same time, I see, for example, what is happening and being born on social media, how people express themselves through art, and I find it exciting.
"Being supportive makes us more human."Artists, especially illustrators, usually work alone and that's why we might seem unsupportive, but it's not like that. For my work to somehow change people's lives is the most beautiful thing that can happen to me. What is true is that we should get together more. I recently did a solidarity workshop with illustrators Flavita Banana, Monstruo Espagueti and Cristina Bueno, and together we've had some incredible ideas. It's clear that four brains do much more than one. But not just artists.Together, we can all go further and achieve greater things. Being supportive also makes us more human. Truly, if people had seen, as I did, the smile of the kids who received help from last year's milk collection campaign, they would help them without thinking about it. And even more so when it costs so little. Among all of us, we can ensure that more boys and girls end up like Rita in the last illustration of the story: traveling to space through the Milky Way, with all her friends, on top of a rocket.Interview: Ana Portolés Realización: La Depensa, Guille A. ChaiaYou can read more stories like these at ALMA, the social social network, a digital space dedicated to the social sphere that offers a new perspective on the present and future of society, based on an optimistic and diverse voice, and on all the initiatives promoted by "la Caixa" Social Project.