Cartoon by Anton Gudim.
Antоn Gudim is a Russian amateur cartoonist, who has gained a wide online following with his pantomime comic strips that play with expectations and visual puns. Since 2021, several of his cartoons have run under the title 'Yes... But', a two-panel comic series.
Everyday Absurdities
During the daytime, Kazakh artist and Moscow-resident Anton Gudim is an IT engineer. His daily office life observations form the basis for his comic strips, which he publishes on his social media accounts to over 1.3 million followers worldwide. Each strip starts with an everyday situation, and then turns it upside down with an absurd twist. Characterized by clean lines, bright colors and minimalist compositions, Gudim's use of visual metaphors and juxtapositions add an extra layer to his satire. Witty but subtle, it often takes a second look to see what is going on, or spot the social commentary that the cartoonist is actually giving.
Cartoon by Anton Gudim.
Often, Gudim zooms in or out of a scene to reveal a strange truth. Bowls of dog food, for instance, appear to be the craters, which explains why wolves howl to the moon. In another gag, a boxer seems to be practicing his punches in the air, but after zooming in, it turns out he is actually having a boxing match against a fly. Some gags use comic strip elements like speech balloons and panel borders as an integrated part of the narrative. Like a gag in which the thought balloon bubbles of a man fill a ball pit.
Cartoon by Anton Gudim.
Other gags by Gudim use an ironic visual twist to comment on consumerism, human hypocrisy or the ridiculous reality of modern society. In one gag, the red and green icons for answering or ending a phone call are used for heads or tails coin tossing to decide whether to call or not. In Gudim's world, Adam and Eve are cats, and the apple is a red ornament hanging tantalizingly from a Christmas tree, which they inevitably break.
'Yes...But.'
Since 2021, an important series in Gudim's output is his two-panel 'Yes... But...' cartoon. The first panel typically shows a seemingly ideal, successful or at least normal situation ("Yes..."), while the second one reveals the weird or cynical reality that lies beneath, or an inevitable result ("But..."). With these social commentaries, Gudim likes to challenge the reader to reflect on the funny contradictions in life, or engage in conversations on the social issues he addresses.
'Yes... But'.
Recognition
Over the years, Anton Gudim has gained a wide following with his clever cartoons. His artwork has been on exhibit in Moscow, and in June 2022 a book collection was released under the title 'Everyday Absurdities' by the American publisher Tonii Inc. in 2013, The Mansion Press released a volume collecting a selection of the 'Yes, But' cartoons.
'Yes... But'.