ARTICLES & WRITINGS BY OTHERS
Sergio Gomez
June 23, 2010
If at its best A/art is an invitation to relationship, the works of Sergio Gomez are bold and complex provocations to a series of interconnected meetings. Gomez’ use of the human figure grounds his work in the depth of human concerns; his art has our shared plight of suffering, of searching, and of triumph at its center. Far from a dualism that posits a separation between body and transcendence, Gomez artful technique underscores how A/art points to the indissoluble unity of what is matter and what is spirit. In Gomez’ work the use of multiple textures, visible seams, dripping paint, vibrant colors and brushstrokes honor corporality, as his evocative figures celebrate personhood and the world in which we dwell. Yet quite seamlessly, Gomez’ works also act like modern icons opening windows and doors into the depths of Spirit, where death never has the last word and the sacred beckons.
In his passionate and passion-making art Sergio Gomez tells a community’s story, raises a cry of pain, mediates a vision of hope, and points with care and reverence toward that eternal Other whose love the very beauty of these works brings into relationship with a thankful world.
Cecilia González-Andrieu, Ph.D
Art/Religion/Theology/Spirituality
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, CA
Sergio Gomez
August 2009
Sated with figurative images, Sergio Gomez’s paintings are imbued with meditations on the multifaceted experiences of human condition and spirituality throughout the cycles of life. The artist unabashedly delves into the essence of humanity and the human condition, daring to use himself as the subject in many of his paintings. The black and white shadowy figures are representative of the flesh and the spirit, with the black images being of this earth whilst the white figures appear to represent transcendence into the higher self, the soul or the spirit. Much of Sergio’s work deals with the subject of man’s search for inner peace and a higher form of consciousness in the face of strife and difficulties associated with the human condition.
Many of Sergio’s figurative paintings begin as drawings of himself with reflective writings scripted directly onto the canvas. These painting are as much about the process as they are about the subject in that they are the result of a meditative exercise. To these drawings, he then intuitively applies layers of color in thin washes that run and drip down the canvas masking the identity of the figure. Deliberate and meandering lines that sometime run off the edges indicate both the visible and invisible boundaries in the physical world. The obscured figure represents all mankind, thereby allowing Sergio’s artistic expression to resonates with our own search for identity, truth, and higher self.
Ruth Crnkovich
Curator / Art Appraiser
CRN Curatorial Resource Network
Stretching the limits of fine art with works on paper at Tall Grass Arts Association
Chicago Fine Arts ExaminerJessica Kronika
May 2010
"Utilizing his signature ambiguity, Gomez brings us the fertile green of spring, a suggestion of its summer to come. The layers and silhouettes of his figures and the rare instance of stenciled forms come together at the warm heart of this work in acrylic on paper. The cool blues and rich greens of this work play with the eye. By its sheer size, nearly life size, these paper works mounted on canvas draw comparison and involvement, while the anonymity of the figures allows for speculation on identity." Read full article
Through the Labyrinth: Judithe Hernandez and Sergio Gomez
Curatorial Statement by Joyce Owens Anderson
Chicago State University
November 2009
"The value these two artists would bring to our students, and the CSU community, included exposure to aspects of the artists’ particular art practice, first person anecdotes about artist activism, American history, and the psychological impact art works can impart. Viewers engaging in the works and the history of the artists learn more about human migrations and about Latino culture and politics." Read full article
Calmness. Solo Exhibition at 33 Collective Gallery
Essay by Lindsey Gargas
January 2009
"Gomez embraces ambiguity and impersonality, as, for him, it is not the physical features that identify who people are. For him, People are identified by their emotions, their feelings, and their experiences. Through Gomez’s works, it is personal concern to establish a visual dialogue with his identity." Read full article
Portrait of the Artist: Sergio Gomez and 33 Collective Gallery
Newcity Art Review
January 2009
"The imagery in Sergio Gomez’s new mixed-media works—figures both
concentrated and expanded in form—mirrors the artist’s own multifaceted
roles." Read full story
Trials and Transformations: Sergio Gomez finds calmness in the face of life’s chaos
Written by: Candice Ralph
The Chicago Weekly
February 2009
"One recurring theme in Gomez’s work is transformation. He evokes this idea by using different human forms such as children, men, and women, and by incorporating butterflies in many of his works. Just as a butterfly emerges from a chrysalis, his works hint transformation and rebirth will always come. To Gomez, the butterfly is a symbol of harmony, fragility, and life—delicate and malleable." Read full story