Brooklyn-based artist Anthony Goicolea is most well-known for his stunning photographs depicting scenes of identical uniformed schoolboys (in fact, all digital portrayals of himself) engaging in rebellious and sometime sexually-charged adolescent activities. But Goicolea has shown himself to be much more than a one-trick pony, by branching out into other mediums (e.g., drawing, video, installations) and by varying his subject matter.
In his new show entitled Related III, which opens Saturday at LA’s Sandroni Rey gallery, Goicolea metaphorically turns his lens away from himself and points it at his family.
More images and an excerpt from the gallery’s press release after the jump.
Anthony Goicolea
Related III
October 18 – November 15, 2008
Opening reception: Saturday, October 18, 2008, 6-8 pm
Sandroni Rey is pleased to present an exhibition of new works by Anthony Goicolea. “Related” is the latest in an ongoing series in which Goicolea uses drawing, photography, sculpture and installation to explore his family history and identity as well as larger themes of ritual, assimilation and alienation.
Like many first generation immigrants, Goicolea experiences a sense of cultural dislocation. Customs and family tradition keep immigrants linked to a mythical homeland while the tendency to assimilate into their surroundings isolates and estranges them from their origins and creates a sense of alienation. Tackling these issues, Goicolea has executed a series of portraits based on old photographs of family members, known and unknown, while they were still living in Cuba. By drawing and painting these portraits, Goicolea creates a reinterpreted, second-generation reproduction of their likenesses.
