Don’t let Gomez Bueno fool you—then again, that’s half the challenge and half the fun. If you’re in the Los Angeles area, go for it and visit Eastern Projects, on Saturday, March 6th, 5 to 9pm, for an opening reception to view the mild-mannered artist’s newest body of work, Parallel Universe. Like many of us during this year of isolation, Gomez assessed his surroundings, a wife working and kids learning from home. “I had to refrain myself from making the smelly polyester resin sculptures and spray paintings that I was making before all this started. With ink, if you make a mistake, it stays there because you can’t cover anything, but it doesn’t smell, it’s not toxic and you don’t need to have a five horsepower compressor or industrial fan when you’re working. So a decision was made.”
It was back to basics, to drawing, but drawing everyday - and thus, these portraits and compositions that became his own parallel universe. Gomez has always loved mining political and historical figures, skewering propaganda, serving it up with zingy references to advertising music and movies. The symmetry and straightforward gazes magnetize with their simplicity, the sting with satire. Parallel Universe is on view through April 3rd. —Gwynned Vitello
If you’d like to attend the opening on Zoom, go to the gallery website [email protected]
