Maria-Ines Gul

2 months ago | nybooks.com | Leanne Shapton |Maria-Ines Gul

In early 2021 the artist and jeweler Kaye Blegvad sent me a set of erotic zines, sometimes known as Tijuana bibles, including one by Maria-Ines Gul. I’d seen Gul’s work for years in the pages of Rookie magazine, where she worked as a staff illustrator (and once drew my portrait!). Gul was born in Poland and is now based in London. Her work is bold, graphic, and pointed: feminist without being stereotypically feminine. I might call it “vivid femme,” with hints of surrealism and noir.