Talk with Cathie Gomez and you'll instantly want your youth back. She gets what we missed about what you should be doing in your early adult years. See why this talented artist gets it right:
How did you discover Fresh Squeezed 2?
As a local Bay Area artist, I was introduced to Fresh Squeezed 2 by several friends in the art scene. I'm lucky to be surrounded by peers and mentors that generously circulate information about upcoming opportunities.
What brought you to Florida?
The Pina Coladas! And my mother who migrated here from Colombia in 1999.
Music videos have always been a visual love of mine. The artist collaborates with so many people to create a world and characters that usually don't get to live beyond that three or so minute song. More recently, however, thanks to artists like Missy Elliot and Kanye West there has been a rise in artists that taken the medium as a cinematic art form and developed characters that survive a single song. Tyler the Creator's interviews and his most recent collaborations with Kali Uchis, a Colombian artist, definitely influenced this body of work. As for cartoons, I believe my first introduction was the Looney Tunes short films by Warner Bros. and that's probably why I'm so mischievous. In my eyes, those films inspired curiosity and an excitement to build things which led to a life filled with creation.
You’re in your last year at USF, but you’ve already worked at The Dalí, the Chihuly and the MFA, as well as being the artist liaison at SHINE. What’s your path after graduation?
I'm currently replying to you from Santiago, Chile where I'll be studying abroad until July. During my time here I am completing a second round of undergraduate research with Jason Lazarus and seeking to establish connections to complete further research through a Fulbright Grant that would keep me in Chile for another year. That grant is rather competitive though, so if I'm not selected I'm looking at either the Green Corp and state-funded volunteer programs. The Green Corp would train me as an activism campaign organizer; this is intriguing to me because historically artists have worked hand-in-hand with activists to bring about great change. The latter option, a state-funded volunteer program, is more about timing. As a twenty-something my responsibilities are the lowest they're ever going to be, giving me the flexibility to give generously the world's most valuable commodity, time. Life and people are the core of my work, so these options aren't as far from my discipline as people think.
What about the exhibit excites you most?
Working with the Morean Art Center has been a dream. When I first told them I would be abroad for all of the events they were enthusiastic and encouraging. They're generously accommodating a virtual presence, so I'll hopefully be contributing an online performance and collaborating with The Glad Scientist, an Atlanta-based VR musician.
Honestly, the best place to stay up-to-date with my work is on Instagram. I use the stories feature as a visual stream of consciousness tool, so the ideas that I investigate in my work frequently make an appearance there. I also post detail videos that have recently evolved into a larger work. So as generic as it sounds, that digital space has developed my work organically. My handle is @cathiegomez
You had a social engagement piece, Migration Essentials, in a group show at the Carolyn Wilson Gallery. What inspired that?
The piece Migration Essentials is an ongoing participatory work. I collaborate with the viewer to create work that communicates elements of migration in their life. Text left with the work guides the viewer through possibilities and provides options to make a one-on-one appointment with me. One of the goals of the piece was to derail ideas of authorship, this was inspired by the rising tensions surrounding DACA and the #DREAMers movement.
This article appears in Mar 8-15, 2018.