Flo Alai - Illustrator

Barcelona, Spain

“I am Flo Alai. For context, I grew up in the fascist Chilean post-dictatorship: where the idea of cooperation and community were eliminated and replaced by a glorification of individualism, consumption and unhealthy competition.

I witnessed the sale and destruction of thousands of rivers and native communities/territories to large European, Canadian and Chinese transnationals. The open wound from the "disappearances" of relatives during the dictatorship, who were tortured and killed by the fascist regime in the 80s, was a breeding ground for rage for many young people. In that context is how anarchopunk arrived in my adolescence, as a point of escape and refuge. For many, punk was an obvious expression of liberation and communion, against what was going on.

I started to participate in nomad pirate radio projects around Latin America ("Radio Nomadista"), I participated in different DIY sporadic "distros" of zines that connected us with punks from other parts of the world - and it was an excuse to be able to travel. I lived in Ecuador and in Oakland, CA (2008), in Hellarity squat. At that time, drawing helped me to communicate and since then I have not stopped...

I have commissioned drawings for Rainy (Discharge), art covers for bands such as Deseos Primitivos (Oakland), and posters for different festivals (Not Your Babe fest, Globale Film Festival Berlin, etc.

I currently live in Barcelona, working as an artist, ex-sex worker, tattoo apprentice, and web design apprentice. Being a Latin American immigrant in Europe is tough, but in my 30s, the punk community has been a support against the hostile reality, and has opened the door to have amazing house squat projects. And more than once, it has been a life savior. Amor & Solidaridad

Abajo las fronteras y Prisiones del planeta. Viva Eskorbuto!”