Bio
Adrian Gomez (b.1994, Seattle, WA) is an interdisciplinary artist who examines the intricacies of being a first-generation American. He received his BFA at the University of Washington (2018) in Ceramics through the 3D4M program. He continued his education at Tyler School of Art (2019) in their post-bacc program and participated in a two-year residency at Pottery Northwest (2022) in Seattle. He has shown work throughout the country, most notably at NCECA, The Clay Studio, and the Mexican Consulate in Seattle. He has participated in various museum shows including Skyway 2024: A Contemporary Collaboration at The Tampa Museum of Art, Thank You in Advance at the USF Contemporary Art Museum, and in the fall will be showing at The Ringling Museum of Art as a part of Nuestro Vaiven. Recently finishing his MFA at the University of South Florida, he is working towards expanding his practice through the combination of clay and the use of new processes in metals, sound, and video.
Artist Statement
Distance from family, home, and community has prompted a further study into the histories determining 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 culturally significant motifs, replicated but often altered, portrays archival memory of personal and recorded Latino history. In honoring the moments fundamental to my cultural identity, I can process the limited access to the traditions practiced by my family for generations. The intent to make is sustained by my urgency to represent and understand the cyclical nature life follows when obscured by borders.
Researching pre-Colombian histories, I realized these deeply personal relationships were universal and that I could, in fact, have an audience. Connecting with the long tradition of ceramics in the Americas I began using red clay to maintain that historical throughline. Making work that embodies the notion of being stuck between culture and place is essential because it gives a point of entry to many with similar lived experiences. In these challenging political times, I realized encountering one of my works can be the representation and connection people need. Recently, I’ve been diving into how new cultural practices were introduced to the Indigenous cultures of the Americas. My sculptures now appear as snapshots of perceived realities arising from meshing information together.
