Tonight's show at Rubber Gloves is the only place in the US to ogle post-apocalyptic, Portuguese comics from the new collection Futuro Primitivo. The project has been shown in Rome, Helsinki, Sweden, and next Brazil, but because of local artist Nevada Hill's contributions to and connection with the the vibrant artist collective, it takes a momentary pause right here, in the Meme Gallery at Rubber Gloves. Joining the celebration of devastation, as told through squiggles and sketches, will be local bands Dust Congress, Ulna and Cerulean Gaillo -- all of whom were hand-plucked by Hill for their ability to tonally reflect the publication's End Of Days aesthetic.
You're likely wondering how it all happened. There are oceans and languages dividing our artist from the Portuguese posse, and still they found one another. Thanks to that magnetic occurrence, we get to party and browse some visceral, vibrant and yeah, kind of dangerous art work.
Well, necessity sparks inventiveness. When screen-printer Nevada Hill graduated college he was also a new father, and learned quickly how life changes when you're cooped up and responsible for someone else. He wanted a creative outlet, one that would allow him to connect and develop new ideas while still enjoying time with his family. He became active in comics and zine-making. He started searching the internet for other illustrators outside of his region's community and found Chili Com Carne: a collective of cartoonist out of Portugal that was doing explosive work. Soon, they became his people.
Joining as the group's American extremity, Hill was all-in. He even decided to visit. What he found upon his arrival was a romantic assemblage of artists, writers and filmmakers, many of whom were in their 40s or older with professional jobs and families of their own. They had a whole-world perspective behind the work. Their concerns weren't monetary -- what mattered was forcing time for collaboration and creativity.
Chili Com Carne's passion was contagious. Their art tackled topics like sex and race in ways that American models just don't cover. Hill was hooked. Even the group's mash-up art methods -- alternating authors and illustrators for various cells and strips -- it reminded him of a cartoon version of the chopped and screwed music he'd grown up with. When his first in-person visit ended, he left his friends with a bunch of cds and loaded his luggage with zines, books drawings. Since then, the Portuguese collective has been raging to DJ Screw and Denton has benefited from four (with today making five) installments of art from Chili Com Carne. Proving that creativity and art render physical barriers like oceans inconsequential while improving the world's collective fun quadrant.
Shake some action tonight at Rubber Gloves and crack the spine on Chili Com Carne's new book, Futuro Primitivo. Doors are at 9 with bands beginning at 10 p.m. The drinking class gets in for $5, and $7 for minors.