Imaginary Interview with Ángel Boligán

Imaginary Interview with Ángel Boligán Cartoonist, Illustrator, and Poet of Visual Silences

Q: Mr. Boligán, your work often blends dark humor with poetic subtlety. Where does this perspective come from?Boligán: From somewhere between suffering and laughter. We live in a world where only irony can sometimes express the truth. I draw the bright wounds of society with black ink. Humor, to me, is a quiet scream—a way to say what cannot be said directly.

Q: Your use of negative space and silence is powerful. Why do you focus so much on what's not shown? Boligán: Empty space is the loudest voice. When I choose not to draw something, it often speaks louder. In art, what is left unsaid is what the soul perceives most clearly. With silence and blank space, I write sentences that can only be read with the eyes.

Q: How has being a cartoonist changed in the age of social media? Boligán: It’s harder now—silence doesn’t echo the way it used to. In a world full of shouting, a cartoon must be a clever whisper. But the power of image remains. A good cartoon cuts like a blade, even among a flood of noise.

Q: Many of your works touch on universal themes like loneliness, migration, and freedom. Why these subjects? Boligán:Because borders are only on maps, not in hearts. Loneliness, pain, freedom—these are our common languages. I try to portray the human condition without flags, without ideology.

Q: Has there ever been a cartoon that was especially hard or personal to draw? Boligán: Yes, many times. Especially those about violence against children or the plight of migrants. They hurt to draw. But they must be drawn. Silence in front of injustice is the cruelest form of complicity.

Q: If one day you could no longer draw, what would complete you? Boligán: Maybe a small garden, silence, and a bird singing among the trees. But truthfully, drawing is my way of breathing. If I couldn’t draw anymore, I wouldn’t truly exist.