The Writer’s Block: A Q&A with Cartoonist Vilma Vargas

Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa is not a fan of cartoonist Vilma Vargas. Her work primarily confronts human rights issues, the environment, and corruption in her country. Her politically charged work has drawn criticism from his regime, and last May an exhibition of her work was censored by Ecuador’s cultural organization. Nevertheless, she continues to work as a political and social advocate, fighting for freedom of speech and the opening of civic discourse in her work.

Vilma Vargas was an Artist Protection Fund fellow in residence at City of Asylum in 2016. She sat down with Sampsonia Way Magazine to discuss the artist’s craft, an unnerving break-in at her home in Ecuador, President Correa’s crackdown on journalists, and the power of the image.