Sergio Gómez Makes Ambitious Abstract Paintings and Murals
The first piece I saw by Sergio Gómez was a canvas on which his marks zig-zagged off the surface and onto the white walls. The painting became a playful installation that captured the frenzied excitement of making a piece. I loved that his work had so much energy and life, like it was still very much in process.
I was also excited by Sergio’s expanded view of painting. He not only works on canvases and gallery walls, but huge street murals and site specific works. And yet, you can tell these ambitious pieces burst out of that same creative mind, with their sweeping gestures and joyful mark-making.
I reached out to Sergio, who’s from Seville, Spain, to learn more about his vibrant abstract works. He told me English wasn’t his first language, but he nevertheless took the time to thoughtfully answer my questions.
Hey Sergio. There’s such a great variety of marks and layers in your work. How do you start a piece?
I always start with a small idea of a composition and how to apply colour. I never know how it will end up, but I do know what it won't be.
Regarding materials, I always start with a virgin canvas and apply the white primer in a uniform way leaving traces of the canvas that gives me clues, and that's where the game begins.
I’m guessing you have a lot of different tools to create those marks. What tools and materials do you love to use?
I usually work with brushes and rollers, I also use scraps of cloth to drag through the layers. I like to sand some parts to free the layers underneath. Lately I’ve been using any material that can scratch these layers without damaging the canvas. For me these marks refer to the passage of time, so any material that can leave a mark is fine.
Sometimes your marks go off the surface and onto walls, like an extended universe. What do you like about working big?
I always see my pieces as something infinite, something that can extend across any of the surfaces of the canvas. I always imagine what it would be like if the surface were larger. From this thought comes the expansive painting that I generate for some of my works. I like to think about the concept of the window: what is beyond what we see.
How important is drawing in your work? It looks almost like you draw with paint.
I usually draw a lot on paper, but for me these drawings are already finished works, they’re never sketches, I don't use sketches. I base my paintings on ideas that I write down. I always generate the works directly onto the canvas. But these drawings on paper in a small format seem very important to me; they’re really part of a daily training.
You’ve done large murals, which made me think there might also be a relationship with graffiti? Is that an influence?
I actually started very young in the graffiti movement. This led to making murals and these murals became canvases. Aesthetically it has nothing to do with what I used to do, but I do think that the way of doing graffiti left me with a great inheritance.
Do you think there’s a relation between your work and the marks of children?
Totally. I wish I could make these marks as a child. My movement comes from typography and over time it became simple gestures. Making these kinds of gestures in an intuitive way has become a challenge.
Lastly, what are you working on at the moment? Do you have a show coming up?
Right now I'm working on what will be my next solo exhibition with the Herrero de Tejada gallery in Madrid. I've been shaping it since August and making pieces to find the way for this show. I'm very happy with the evolution that everything is taking.
Follow Sergio on Instagram: @srger
Things on Our Radar This Week
Saatchi has a huge group show of some of the most exciting abstract painters in London right now
A brief clip of Oscar Murillo talking about the difficulties of making his brilliant London show at David Zwirner now
Wish we could see this Mark Corfield-Moore solo show at Kunsthall Stavanger in Norway
Also in Norway is Sebastian Helling and Andrea Scholze, a beautiful show at QB GALLERY in Oslo
Lastly a random drone tour through Art Basel Paris for those of us who couldn’t attend
Thanks for reading, see you next time!
Oliver & Kezia xx
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