‘Angel on Mars’ Artist Kercina Bennem Represents for Memphis Black Girls
This story was featured in our print and digital September/October issue.
Kercina “Kelly” Bennem’s life has always been deeply influenced by animation and art. Subconsciously, she took inspiration in the flickering world of animation with shows, such as Eddsworld, Steven Universe, and Total Drama Island. As an artist, cartoonist, model, and co-creator of her web series “Angel on Mars,” Kelly personifies Black artistry and Black girlhood.
Born and raised in Memphis, Kelly said that ever since she was young, she craved to create and explore the lush world of art. She was always able to draw, but the thing that made her take it seriously as a substantial hobby was cartoons.
“When I saw cartoons that could have deep sentimental meaning, I was like wow these shows make me feel emotion. Steven Universe makes me feel good. I want to do that. I want to move people and send messages across with cartoons just like it did for me growing up,” Kelly said.
The world of animation, especially in the 2000’s, lacked diversity. Many Black and brown characters were caricatures of stereotypes, or failed to embody the cultures they were supposed to represent. To Kelly, diversity matters and children need to be able to see themselves.
“When a lot of the main characters were white or did not look like me, you know, I did not feel like it could be possible for me to be in the industry and create my cartoons. I never saw it, and there were not any examples,” said Kelly.
From 2000 to 2009, 138 main characters appeared on Cartoon Network. Of these, 39 were women or girls, 24 were people of color, and 57 were non-human. For Black girls, it was significantly lower. It wasn’t until Kelly got into shows like The Proud Family, Craig of the Creek, The Boondocks, and other Black or POC-led shows that she started to see herself represented.
“When I saw all the diversity in Total Drama Island for the first time, they had Hispanic and Black characters. Even though they were highly stereotypical, I was in awe. That was one of the first examples for me, and I thought that was really cool,” she said. “The diversity drew me closer because I saw myself in these characters.”
She said that after seeing characters like these, she felt incredibly validated and motivated to create characters who might eventually evoke similar emotions in other people.
“I am autistic, and I think it is severely important for Black girls to see autistic people being represented through them in the media,” she said.
Kelly explained that doesn’t want to be associated with tropes and preconceptions because she is Black. She aspires to portray the complexity and intricate realities of Black existence.
“Being Black does not mean I have to be good at basketball,” she said, ” A lot of my characters are representative of different diagnoses, different backgrounds, different ethnicities, and different stories,” she said.
With over 56,000 views, her Webtoons series “Angel on Mars” shares Bennem’s beliefs on portrayal. The webcomic is an edgy comedy that tracks Angel, a budding musician, as she strives for fame. She’s joined by her friend Morgan, also known as _glittergutz on Instagram, who co-created the series. She said that she and Morgan get along well and produce concepts for their series quickly.
“A lot of people probably don’t like the topics that are going to be brought up in my comic, but this is real shit,” Kelly said. “I want to normalize real things that go on that aren’t talked about.”
In addition to her online series, you can find her mingling with other highly creative and talented musicians, fashion designers, writers, and artists in the underground art scene, as well as selling her artwork at art events and flea markets.
Kelly said that if it were not for a tragedy, she would not be in the environment and community where she could pursue her creative ambitions. She said that she was in a period of isolation and did not have friends. One gruesome day, she found out that one of her homeboys had ended his own life. Because of her friend’s premature death, she reconnected with an old friend from high school at his funeral.
“I love seeing everybody, and it kind of brought me back into the art space,” she said.
Kelly says that up until then, all she had been doing was going to work and sleeping. Her depression became entangled in a dissociative cycle, causing her to lose perspective on her dreams. Then, she was introduced to this writer and producer, AshLeon, by the friend with whom she rekindled her friendship.
“When they met me, they were just like, ‘oh my gosh, you are such a creative person.’ Why are you not out here putting your art out here?” she said.
Her eagerness to achieve her goals and make her dreams come true was heightened by those encouraging remarks.
“So, I just kept meeting more people; I started going out to places, I started going to more events, and I started going to concerts,” Kelly said. “I did not feel like I could do that before, but I was like, ‘wow, all this stuff is right here, and I am not doing anything to utilize it,’ so it kind of brought me out of that depression.”
Kelly is glad to be in Memphis as it is a city rich with Black people who may inspire her. According to her, Memphis is a crucial place for Black artists.
“It’s Black down here, so we want to be represented more. I grew up and it wasn’t my community that was being represented to me,” she said.
Kelly intends to launch a website in the future so she can offer merchandise like stickers, keychains, posters, tapestries, and much more. She expresses her gratitude for all the opportunities she has had. Her belief is that no single group is uniform—you have the freedom to be whoever you choose to be.
“What I’m doing right now is a part of my journey and what I’m supposed to be doing, and it’s okay to have this representation in my art because I’m showing people that you can and that it’s okay to be yourself,” she said.
All art by Kercina Bennem
In this story, we addressed some serious topics about mental health. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, mental health issues, or a substance use crisis, please explore these non-carceral resources. Help is always available. You are not alone.
For updates on Kelly’s art, follow her on Instagram at @K3ll.0ggun.
