Meet our PUNK illustrator: Cristina Portolano

Each month, CreativeMornings has a different theme for the talks given at our local chapter events around the world. It is our tradition to work with an artist in our community to create an illustration for each monthly theme.

Our theme for June is PUNK. It was chosen by our Bologna chapter in Italy and illustrated by Cristina Portolano.

Cristina was born in Naples and lives in Bologna. She has published comics and illustrations for several publishers both in Italy and abroad. She collaborates with communication agencies, non-profit associations, public bodies, and publishes every month on Internazionale Kids. She also teach comics and illustration in various fine arts academies.

Listen to how to pronounce Cristina’s name.

From the Artist

Cristina had this to share about her illustration for this month’s theme…

This theme couldn’t be more spot-on for me! I was a punk teenager painting graffiti in Naples between 2000 and 2004, so I took inspiration from myself and from everything that shaped my punk and feminist mindset. The idea behind the illustration is to show both classic punk symbols and some cultural references.

Writing the word with a spray can means affirming yourself and your culture of origin. For me, being punk today means knowing how to adapt to the changing reality but without losing your personality. Finding creative and fun solutions to very serious and boring problems. This is being punk today.

You can see more of Cristina’s work on her site and follow her on Instagram @cristinaportolano.

Selected Works