weekend links: Spanish comics, Weil siblings, family “truths”

Ceesepe, ​El Tacón Cubano en: “María”​ (1980). Image courtesy Hyperallergic.

Former fields contributor Lauren Moya Ford explores the world of underground Spanish comics, a vibrant art form that thrived following the end of Francisco Franco’s dictatorship in 1975. In particular, she looks at the work of the artist Ceesepe, an R. Crumb-inspired artist who was part of the La Movida Madrileña counterculture movement. Spanish punk fans, this one’s for you. [Hyperallergic]

Tuareg guitarists have been honing a unique brand of psychedelic rock for years, with acts like Tinariwen, Bombino, and Mdou Moctar thrilling audiences worldwide. However, until recently, every Tuareg guitarist had something in common: they were male. Fatou Seidi Ghali, of Les Filles de Illighadad, is the world’s first female professional Tuareg guitarist. Progress! [The Guardian] 

Despite being on the scene just as long as their male counterparts, female graffiti artists seldom get any recognition. That's changing, as historians and curators are beginning to look at the past and present of graffiti and document the women who practice it. [Artsy]

Karen Olsson has had a prolific career, having written for the New York Times Magazine, Texas Monthly, and The Texas Observer, where she once worked as an editor. In this interview she discusses her new book, The Weil Conjectures, inspired by her fascination with Simone and André Weil and, surprisingly, math. [The Millions]

Artist Mounira al-Solh goes to great lengths to ensure her art is inclusive to all Arab women. Pieces such as The Mother of David and Goliath are informed by both the past and present realities of Arab women. Her work aims to expand conceptions of Arab and Muslim women, bringing depth to often oversimplified and stereotyped portrayals. [Hyperallergic]

Juliet Grames’s debut, The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna, and Leah Hager Cohen’s Strangers and Cousins explore families whose matriarchs have lost their memory. Both books explore how the idea of "truth" affects how families operate and how family members perceive themselves. [The Atlantic]

The new anthology Shapes of Native Nonfiction: Collected Essays by Contemporary Writers, edited by Elissa Washuta and Theresa Warburton, seeks to expose readers to contemporary Native American writers. In this interview with Washuta and Warburton, they discuss the book and perceptions of Native art. [Longreads]

—Nicolas Perez and Sean Redmond