Dzogaba Peter

As all Dzogaba work - though deceivingly simple and childlike, this contemporary comics is brilliantly layered and complex. On the surface, it is a tale of the Giant Yobobo told from a perspective of a little boy. Its simplicity -also typical of his Yobobo series- is meant to both disarm and intr...

As all Dzogaba work - though deceivingly simple and childlike, this contemporary comics is brilliantly layered and complex. On the surface, it is a tale of the Giant Yobobo told from a perspective of a little boy. Its simplicity -also typical of his Yobobo series- is meant to both disarm and intrigue the viewer, to elicit his inner child and delve into the story of a mysterious Cyclop (one-eyed giant). Who is he, why did he come, where did he come from, what does he want?

As a whole, Yobobo series consists of several paintings, yet their order can be altered, some images can be omitted, others added when displayed- without changing the meaning or ultimate goal of the narrative Dzogaba attempts to convey. The idea of this narrative “play” – amplification, addition and omission of narrative elements of the whole story (or “whole picture”)- was conceived to replicate tactics used by the current news media to manipulate our attitudes, our worldview when encountering new social phenomena.

Peter’s images with his seemingly fairy tale like narrative hide a deft analysis of the current social problem faced by the European continent -that of the migrant crisis. His approach both mimics and criticizes that of the current media.

His “comics” tell a story of a giant Yobobo who shows up in a fictitious megalopolis squeezing through the city’s skyscrapers. Overnight he becomes a media celebrity. One minute a Violet Lady gives him a funny moon, the next, the giant is trying to shield himself from the flashes of paparazzi’s cameras. Among the journalists is a red-headed female whom Yobobo decides to let in on a secret… And the following morning she wakes up with a strange looking big artificial hand that makes her strong and capable of doing anything she wants and desires.

Yet the girl gets frightened and collapses mentally unable to deal with her new reality. There are many more like her until one of the "strong arm" girls realizes she likes using it to stroke her hair; another girl uses it to fashion herself a companion robot. Eventually, little by little, the inhabitants of the city get used to what’s happening and pretend that everything is just normal.

The fear of the unknown is one of the primal human fears. European consciousness is being directly confronted with such fears in the form of recent migrant crisis and resulting cultural clashes, which has come to dominate the news coverage. It is as if a huge green giant in the downtown London or Berlin...