2021 Grad Show

Diego Gomez

AUArts Grad Show 20210413_094746

Drawing

My work and research springs from anxieties around my body image and my struggle to really grasp the weight and value of my presence, both physically and metaphorically. My abstract digital drawings depict abstract human forms, broken up into parallel lines that create lanky, elongated silhouettes in layered compositions that are warped through a scanner and edited with digital software. The resulting forms, which are more or less recognizably humanoid, are placed on a textured background of highly contrasting colours that can only be perceived accurately through LED displays or projectors. This creates the optical illusions that form the emotional and conceptual centerpiece of my work.

Impressions #5
Impressions #6
Impressions #7
Impressions #8

Impressions, #5-8

Continuing the series of works where I try to manifest my dreams into something physical, in lieu of writing on a dream journal. Each image is a portrait of a single dream based on how I feel after waking up and I start thinking about what my brain just made up. As I create these and as I look at them, I'm thinking about the ways that my body changes in the dream- or the nightmare, depending on what actually happens to me and my body during the dream.

Impressions, #5-8 AUArts Grad Show heatwave
Impressions #5
Impressions, #5-8 AUArts Grad Show green stripes
Impressions #6
Impressions, #5-8 AUArts Grad Show ghost
Impressions #7
Impressions, #5-8 AUArts Grad Show acordion
Impressions #8
Image I: On the wall Here it's so bright, you feel its presence in the whole room.
Image II: The Details You can get close and see its construction from pixels.
Image III: Surround Partially experimental, here it's projected on three walls, like a box closing in on you so it's even harder to ignore.

Figures: Dream Journaling II

Part of my "Figures" series, which are loosely based on dreams I've had and my thoughts trying to reconcile them with reality. Literally throwing everything at the wall. This time it's bright, loud, it commands the entire room just as it commands my memory. Even if you look away you still see its influence on the other walls, and if you look down you see its reflection on the floor. It's hard to ignore the thoughts you have when you first wake up in the morning. Get close and have a look; you're welcome to get lost in the details.

Figures: Dream Journaling II AUArts Grad Show 20210413_090210
Image I: On the wall Here it's so bright, you feel its presence in the whole room.
Figures: Dream Journaling II AUArts Grad Show 20210413_090622
Image II: The Details You can get close and see its construction from pixels.
Figures: Dream Journaling II AUArts Grad Show 20210413_093905
Image III: Surround Partially experimental, here it's projected on three walls, like a box closing in on you so it's even harder to ignore.

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