Adrián Gómez

Website:

Artist Statement:

Distance from family, from home, and from community has prompted a further study into the histories that determine my identity. From the perspective of a first-generation Mexican-Guatemalan maker, my work describes what it means to preserve and mourn customs obscured by borders. The use of specific foods, replicated in clay, portray archival memory of both personal and recorded Latinx history. In honoring the foods that are fundamental to my cultural identity, I can process the limits of my access to the traditions practiced by my family for generations. The use of a specific and limited color palette references the use of red clay in pre-Columbian tradition as well as the influence “white-washing” has on my identity. 

My intent to make visual art is sustained by my urgency to represent the cyclical nature of the labor the Latinx people experience in their pursuits of prosperity. Researching the patterns of history informs my understanding of personal and familial narrative. Both of my parents immigrated to the United States. They experienced laborious jobs beginning in childhood and continue to work in occupations often tailored as the only viable options for immigrants. The opportunity to create in clay presents the privilege to recognize the path my parents took and other immigrants continue to take. 

Biography:

Adrián Gómez is a ceramic artist born and raised in Seattle, Washington. He examines the intricacies of being a first-generation American by analyzing personal history and identity. Gomez addresses the specific cycles of labor experienced by the Latinx community, and the personal ordeals that his parents and grandparents have encountered. He works to emulate specific cultural items in clay to pay homage to food, clothing, and significant objects. Adrian Gomez first encountered clay at Shoreline Community College, where he took a ceramic course to fulfill an art elective. Soon after he chose to pursue a career in ceramics and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Washington in the 3D4M program. The following year he received an opportunity to attend Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia as a post-baccalaureate. 

Adrián Gómez has been awarded the chance to attend multiple workshops including: Anderson Ranch, Alfred’s four-week open studio intensive, and was a technical assistant at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. Adrian is excited to be a long-term resident of Pottery Northwest for the 2020-2022 term, where he continues his cultural research and studio practice.