Exhibition: John Porcellino's "COMIX and LIFE"

Artist Statement:

"I was born in Chicago in 1968, and from an early age began writing and drawing, and putting this work together into small, handmade booklets. When I was fourteen, with accessibility to a photocopier for the first time, I began reproducing these booklets and sharing them with my friends and family. Then, in the mid-80's, I discovered both punk rock and the "zine world," a network of idiosyncratic self-publishers who had created an autonomous publishing and distribution system operating outside the bounds of the traditional publishing world. This network became my creative community, one I still find my home in.

In 1989 I began self-publishing a comics-zine called King-Cat Comics and Stories. My intention was to create a title that was open and adaptable enough to evolve as I grew older and my own life evolved. I filled it with mainly short, autobiographical stories drawn from my own experience... day-to-day life, memories, and dreams. Over time, King-Cat went from being something I did for fun, to being something I did, to being whatI did. At a certain point, the boundaries between my life and my work dissolved, and King-Cat became my life, and my life became King-Cat.

Now, I'm "doing King-Cat" not only when I'm writing or drawing, but when I'm washing the dishes, walking the dogs, sleeping, or eating. It's just one continuous whole."