JIMON

David R. Gomez

Interview by Jimon

1) You were born in Colombia; when did you move to Denmark and why?
I went to Cork, Ireland in 2005 to work on an artistic project, and during my six-month stay, I met Sandra, a beautiful and tall Scandinavian woman who is now my wife. We were together in Ireland, but we had to go back to our countries of origin. We went back and forth several times until we decided to move together; so, in 2008, I moved to Denmark to be with her.
2) Do you remember the first piece of art you created? How old were you?
I have been creative since I was little. I remember playing with my toy cars on my mother’s rug and being focused on seeing the tracks left by the wheels. I liked to draw a lot in my math notebooks and just to create small things.
I was probably 14 years old when I made my first painting: a landscape with some trees and orange skies. We still have the painting; it is about 40cm x 30cm.
3) How did you acquire your style?
Experimentation with materials has played an important part in creating my work, and my style just comes naturally. I believe it is like a reflection of the world I grew up in: cartoons, comics, Inca mythology, people and myself.
4) You work in multiple platforms; which platform is the most rewarding for you?
Stop motion animation is one of the most rewarding techniques I use because I have to build, draw, paint, destroy, fix and be very creative: I like that.

5) The characters in your paintings, what is their origin?
They originate in myself. I started exploring through my everyday experiences in the city of Medellin in Colombia, and in the city, I found myself being a character. I found many other characters that became the base and foundation of a wide universe of characters, symbols and stories.

6) What is the message you are trying to convey through your art?
It is very personal, but it is also quite general; I question things in our everyday lives, and work with these questions and the feelings involved, without necessarily getting to any answers or conclusions — creating moving, poetic and energetic art pieces.
For example, being an immigrant in Denmark has confronted me with many of the feelings related to moving away from your homeland: things like learning a new language and starting from zero, things that are not uniquely mine but are experienced by many other immigrants worldwide.
7) What has the most influence on your work?
My everyday life experiences and my interest in exploring new techniques and materials. To play  with no fear like when I was a child.
8) Do you have a favorite artist?
No. There are so many artists that are exciting to me, even though there are some that particularly fascinate me like Matthew Barney, Ingvar Cronhammar and Cy Twombly.
9) What was the turning point for David R. Gomez’s work?
Coming to Denmark is definitely a turning point, being confronted with my new life.
10) What do you worry about the most?
Doing the best I can and being honest.
11) Do you have a place/person/thing that you visit for inspiration?
Yes. I walk around in the city, talk to my wife and do everyday things.
12) Best advice you ever received in regards to your career as an artist?
I remember my friend told me once, “Trust your instincts.”
And even though it is sometimes hard to listen to your instincts, I feel this advice has helped me through many things, both personally and professionally.
13) If you could have dinner with three artists living/dead, who would be at your table?
Philip Guston, Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, and Tony Oursler.
14) What forthcoming projects and/or exhibitions do you have scheduled?
I am working on a project called “Bus project”: a stop motion film related to my father’s migration to the USA, my own to Denmark, and other stories, both imaginary and from interviews with people who have migrated to Denmark.  I am also working on “Savn”: a project about the very mixed feelings of missing things, friends and family.
My works will be shown in upcoming art fairs around Europe and the US, represented by Galerie 55bellechasse.  I am quite busy at the moment, and I find this very inspiring.

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