Body & Soul- The two words I’ve been thinking a lot about for the past several years. The tangible and intangible; both are of the utmost importance to all of us whether we like it or not. As a spiritual person, I want to believe in the immortal soul but maybe all we have is this time on Earth. The “Earth” is a leitmotif throughout this series. The earth composed of bodies, bent and twisted into configuration to create a sphere. Bodies that reach toward each other with compassion, empathy and above all Love and Hope.
These works were created before and during the pandemic that ravaged the world. Some works are reactionary. I needed to do something so I have works that are community oriented; Socially relevant narratives that deal with what has transpired in my/our world. I also have works that are “escaping” what has transpired, works of harmony and grace that are hopefully poetic. Art that is aesthetically “beautiful.” Bodies in motion and at rest. Sensual and spiritual, they can be the same.
My works are symbolic narratives that examine both public and personal themes, from pertinent social issues to more intimate matters. My methodology combines the dynamic interfacing of expressive lines creating a configuration or pattern unifying the surface, realizing and fusing together form, feeling and content. The juxtaposition of the abstract and the realistic, the balance of refine/subtle and raw/bold brushwork are utilized to express different feelings. Energy, color and composition are integral components of my work and together they evoke a sense of the spirit, the vital animating force within my being and my art. - Paul Botello
ABOUT PAUL BOTELLO
His works on canvas and paper have been exhibited in galleries and museums throughout California and the world. He’s executed 35 murals within the last 35 years, over 15 of those murals with his students. His murals have been featured in movies, history books, articles and a repeated segment of KCET’s “Sesame Street”. The segment is a demonstration of the mechanics and execution of a mural. His works have also been published in various books, magazines and newspapers.
In his continuous efforts to give back to the community, he has taught high school art for the Los Angeles Unified School District from 1989-present day. He also taught at a college level; Cal State University Los Angeles (painting) and at the Claremont colleges; at Pitzer College, he taught mural painting (1997 and 2006), and at Pomona College, Chicano art history (1998-2006). He’s constantly recruiting aspiring young artists to assist with his murals. He hopes this will instill pride, commitment and self- confidence among the young people that he works with.
“A Dodger A Day” is a collection of 119 ambidextrous works by Los Angeles-based artist Eduardo Gómez. Inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic, the works on display were completed during quarantine and over a span of 119 consecutive days, which also paralleled the delay of the Los Angeles Dodgers 2020 season home opener. Along with encapsulating the rich and colorful history of the Dodgers, from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, these works document a turbulent time in recent modern history, in a year unlike any other; full of tragedy, fear, uncertainty, civil unrest and with a silver lined Hollywood ending 32 years in the making.
About Eduardo Gómez
Eduardo Gómez (b. 1980, Long Beach, CA.) is a multidisciplinary artist currently living and working in Los Angeles. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the California State University of Long Beach in 2007 and completed his Master of Fine Arts degree at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco in 2010. His work has been featured in a number of group exhibitions, including solo shows in both Los Angeles and San Francisco, as well as commission work most notably published by ESPN and featured in the Stüssy Spring ‘21 collection.
View more:
https://youtu.be/M9rGKSl1158
www.eduardogomezart.com
https://www.instagram.com/eduardo.gomez.studio/
For more information please contact:
easternprojectsLA@gmail.com
About
Eastern Projects is pleased to present “Parallel Universe”, a series of ink drawings on paper (24”x19”) by Gomez Bueno. This is Gomez Bueno’s second solo exhibition with the gallery, and our first exhibition of 2021.
Artist statement
Parallel Universe is a series of ink drawings on paper (24” x 19”) created during the covid-19 pandemic. Due to the mandatory confinement and the social distancing, my wife was working from home and my kids were also distant learning from home. Because my studio is in my house, I had to refrain myself from making the smelly polyester resign 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, is not toxic, you don’t need to have a 5 horse power compressor, or an industrial fan going while you are working. So a decision was made. Obviously I’ve done drawings before but never day after day for more than a year like this time. There are two groups of drawings in the series, the portraits and the compositions. Both are pretty symmetrical if not totally symmetrical. This practice is a little challenging but adds a sense of surrealism to the subject that I like. These characters and weird compositions became my social network, hence the title of the exhibition, “Parallel Universe”. I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I did creating them.
2/22/21
The work of Gomez Bueno follows the complex and ironic legacy of Pop Art mixed with Conceptual Art, particularly the strand with the most social implications. His are works constructed like games, at once innocent and perverse, without a manifest critical distance. They are radical and festive, ambiguous and devastating, complex and transgressive. He deploys radical humour and irony to move along the narrow line that separates apparent veneration for the irresponsible and hedonistic consumer culture and an acid, critical stance that makes no concessions. Gomez Bueno is a sharpshooter from a space of freedom who arrogates the right to appropriate any icon. His work is always recognizable by its jovial and festive appearance but after careful analysis surprises often appear. Sometimes they are the concepts or images that have been appropriated, others the hidden messages or the technique used nevertheless it is always an added value that differentiates his work from the rest.
Gomez Bueno’s work has been exhibited at museums including the Museo de Bellas Artes (Santander), Museo de Arte Contemporaneo Madrid, Circulo de Bellas Artes (Madrid), Centro de Arte (Tenerife), Laguna Art Museum, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (San Francisco), San Jose Museum of Art, LACMA, Harwood Museum Taos (NM), Museo de la Ciudad de Mexico, Galeria Torreao Nascente da Cordoaria Nacional (Lisboa), Grand Palais of Paris, Industrie Und Handelskammer (Frankfurt), Today Art Museum (Beijing) and Chiso Museum (Kyoto) among others. As well as at commercial galleries in Spain, Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, England, Portugal, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, Thailand, China and USA.
Only 10 guests in 30 minute intervals will be allowed inside, MASKS and social distancing are mandatory for the safety of everyone. Temperature checks and hand sanitizer will be provided upon entry, time limits will be enforced.
for those who cannot attend, you can join us via ZOOM, https://www.zoom.us/join:
Meeting ID: 689 923 7694
Password: ajAU0S
