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| Joan Cornellà | |
|---|---|
| Name | Joan Cornellà |
| Birth date | 1981 |
| Birth place | Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain |
| Occupation | Cartoonist, illustrator, artist |
| Notable works | "Mox Nox", "Zonzo", "Fracaso", "Bellpepper" |
Joan Cornellà Joan Cornellà is a Spanish cartoonist, illustrator, and artist known for surreal, darkly comedic cartoons and viral comics. Born in Barcelona, Catalonia, Cornellà's work intersects with contemporary art, publishing, and online media, and has been exhibited in galleries, biennials, and festivals across Europe and North America.
Born in Barcelona, Catalonia, Cornellà studied at local institutions before emerging in Barcelona's independent comics and art scenes. He attended art programs linked to Barcelona cultural centers and engaged with peers from institutions such as the Universitat de Barcelona, Escola Massana, and the Museu Picasso network, while participating in events associated with the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, and the Fundació Joan Miró.
Cornellà began publishing in Barcelona fanzines and alternative magazines, contributing to platforms connected to El País, La Vanguardia, and Público before gaining wider attention through social media and online platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr. He collaborated with comic publishers and art presses in Spain and internationally, including associations with Editorial Anagrama, Reservoir Books, Fantagraphics, Drawn & Quarterly, and independent galleries in Madrid, New York, Paris, and Berlin. His professional trajectory includes projects for festivals and institutions such as the Sónar Festival, Primavera Sound, the Tate Modern, the Centre Pompidou, and the Whitney Museum, alongside work for advertising agencies and record labels like Sub Pop, Domino Records, and XL Recordings.
Cornellà's visual style is characterized by flat, graphic colors, simplified anatomy, and a cartoon vocabulary tied to pop culture, advertising imagery, and comic traditions from artists like Hergé, Gary Larson, and Charles Schulz. Themes of black comedy, surrealism, and social satire appear alongside references to contemporary figures and institutions such as social media platforms, right-wing and left-wing political parties, mass media corporations, and public health organizations. His work evokes comparisons to movements and figures in art history, including Dada, Pop Art, René Magritte, and the Situationist International, while engaging with venues and publications like Artforum, The New Yorker, The Guardian, and Le Monde.
Notable books and collections include "Mox Nox", "Zonzo", "Fracaso", and "Bellpepper", published through independent and mainstream presses that operate in networks including Editorial Anagrama, Random House, Penguin Books, and Chronicle Books. Cornellà's illustrated projects, zines, and collaborations have appeared alongside anthologies and retrospectives in publications by Taschen, Phaidon, and Abrams, and have been featured in periodicals such as Vice, Wired, The Atlantic, and Rolling Stone. He has produced cover art and editorial illustrations for magazines and record sleeves for labels connected to BBC Radio, NPR, and Pitchfork.
Cornellà has exhibited in solo and group shows at institutions and galleries such as the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Hamburger Bahnhof, the Museo Reina Sofía, the Fondation Cartier, and various art fairs including Art Basel and Frieze. He has participated in cultural programs and biennials with organizations like the Barcelona Biennial, São Paulo Biennial, Venice Biennale collateral events, and collaborates with curators, critics, and museums including MoMA, Guggenheim Bilbao, and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Cornellà's provocative imagery has generated debate in media outlets and public forums, sparking discussion in newspapers and broadcasters such as The New York Times, BBC, CNN, El País, Le Monde, and Der Spiegel. His cartoons have prompted reactions from cultural commentators, politicians, and civil society organizations, as well as legal and censorship discussions in municipal exhibitions, academic symposia, and festival programming. Public reception ranges from acclaim in art criticism and mainstream press to controversy on platforms moderated by companies like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and scrutiny from advocacy groups and legal councils in jurisdictions across Europe and North America.
Category:Spanish cartoonists Category:People from Barcelona