aris ruff @ exlabpartner

storyteller & craftsperson
creating queer narratives

About

A digital illustration of Aris, looking over his shoulder at the viewer while working at his desk.

Aris R (he/him) is an storyteller and ziner. He is an Individualized major from CCA with a focus on printmedia, illustration, and physical objects, like artist books and zines. Aris grew up in Richmond, Virginia, and currently lives in San Francisco, CA.His narratives within his work, expand on his lived experience as a queer, disabled, mixed Asian American that grew up in the South. His work is a way to work through his own identity, (dis)placement, love, and shame to create a place to hold vulnerability, for him and for others that have been othered.His stories feature emotionally driven narratives that discuss the intersectionality of disability, queerness, gender, and race with personable characters or an autobiographic lens. Through prose, playful handwriting, and illustrations, he reveals how supportive and abusive environments impact individuals with care and vulnerability. Aris creates to uplift marginalized narratives and to connect with individuals; he deeply cares for his communities and his loved ones, and that is his work’s emotional core.His body of work focuses on narrative illustrations, zines, and artist books made with risograph and screenprint. He aims to continue working with zines, comics, bookwork, and sculptural work, and further his interests in storytelling, indi-development, self-publication, and accessibility to the arts.For work inquiries, please contact at [email protected]!
For his online store, please check his kofi.

Portfolio images will have or will be updated to have full image descriptions. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

books will be displayed in both video and detail shots.
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a full day
double sided screenprint, edition of 8 with gouache detailsA triptych of a family during the morning and evening. This piece is a dedication and a holy framing of the importance of found family, generational joy and love, and queer community.

handbound heart-shaped book with gouache and india ink illustrations on watercolor paper and fabric coversimage description: The picture above is a full spread from the book. A hand is holding the book open to show the illustrated pages. The illustrations are cool to warm toned with a painterly feel. The left character, with long brown hair, light brown skin, and a maroon long sleeve, is watering plants in bloom. The right character, who is mid-size and has brown and white hair, light brown skin, and a pink long sleeve, is cooking sunny side up eggs.

i never want to forget, 2023
unique art book
found materials, glue, highlighters, permanent marker, india ink, ballpoint pen

a three color screen print on 5 different kinds of paper, layered and french folded, then hand stitched with waxed purple thread

detritus, 2023
unique artist book
made with handmade paper, consisting of lint, hair, marigold, and honeysuckle, and machine surge stitched cotton linen pages. linen sheets are screen printed with iron mordant dye and some paper pages are drawn on with india ink and conchineal paint. japanese stab bound with waxed thread

pokemon fan zine (commission)
8 page folded zine painted in gouache, acrylic paint, and india ink

'here after' is a self-written and illustrated comic about Nur, a gender-non-conforming transgender Asian man who immigrates from his birthplace, an unnamed island, to a small city where his husband lives and works. Nur grapples with his nostalgia for his home island while surviving microaggressions toward his race and gender in a new place. 'here after' is a comic about abusive relationships, hostile & isolating environments, and hope.risoprinted 2024

A digital illustration of Aris, looking over his shoulder at the viewer while working at his desk.

everyday i wake up in my/this body4 page scanned mixed media and prose-driven autobio zine focused on living with chronic illness, the struggles, and loving your body.risoprinted 2024

here there5 page autobio zine about my experience moving to San Francisco and how queerness and medical accessibility is very different compared to growing up in Richmond, Virginia. A wish for better, safer things for Southern BIPOC.risoprinted 2024

36 boxes, 2024
screenprint on handformed cotton sheets of paper with medical documents, risograph masters, hair, and queer ephemera for inclusionsexhibited at root division's just another june (2024)

low fire handbuilt ceramic with underglaze

made with clay and acrylic paint
hand-sewn skirt

low fire ceramics with underglaze and glaze

Curriculum Vitae

born 2003, living in rva2021 - ongoing, california college of the arts
(individualized bfa)

Venue & Exhibition Work

2024 Hamaguchi Award Exhibition, CCA PLAySPACE Gallery
2024 Just Another June, Root Division
2024 Bone Deep, Ushi Gallery
2023 Love, California College of the Arts
2023, Spring & Fall CCA Arts & Craft Fair
2021, Fall CCA Arts & Craft Fair
2019, Richmond Zine Fest