After releases with Derek Aylward, Ryan Travis Christian, and Marcus Leslie Singleton, Variable Editions have teamed up with another Juxtpoz favorite and will be releasing a series of 10 hand-colored prints by Ana Benaroya. Continuing the platform's effort to produce and release works that combine the production ease of multiples and uniqueness of original pieces, Juxtapoz magazine cover artist handpainted and inked with a marker each of 22” x 30” prints comprising this series.

"All my paintings start with emotion and character," Benaroya told us at the very start of the cover story interview we did with her for our Spring 2020 issue. And the piece she selected for this project is a perfect example of this, showing a cinematically framed snapshot of an ecstatic woman behind the steering wheel. Evoking the stereotypical and often controversial image of enraged women raising havoc, seen in such classics as Thelma & Louise or even Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, the print shows the artist's focus on portraying empowerment and raw power. Regularly referring to the superhero comics and pictures of athletes as a reference for her protagonist's complexion, her muses are often hyper muscular, masculine figures through which she pursues her explorations of notions of power and desire. And seen from a queer perspective, Benaroya is conducting such a survey by heavily exaggerating and distorting the human body, playing with its form and its relationship to other bodies.

When looking at the image it feels like Benaroya's background in drawing, printmaking, and digital work came in handy for this release which captures the strength of her linework and love for illustration. And besides the completely unique color palette, the artist titled each example of the series. Such titles as Heaven Is A Place On Earth, Watchin’ The Sun Bake, You’re My Velvet Elvis, or The Royal Goodbye, once again showing her love and appreciation for music, as well as the importance and influence of song lyrics and poetry for her practice. 

 This series of 10 hand-colored prints will be releasing on September 15th at 12:15 pm EST at https://www.variableeditions.com/ with a portion of the sales going to Walk the Walk USA, an all-volunteer initiative that raises funds for strategic voter empowerment in key geographies. —Sasha Bogojev