NEW YORK, NY.- Frederico Sève Gallery presents Precious Face, a selection of oil paintings and mix media pieces by Carolina Gomez from June 20th to August 16h. This exhibition features an array of figurative paintings and collages from her latest series Mirror Stone: an exploration concerned with the intersection of power, beauty, and fashion through the juxtaposition of pop culture icons and precious gems.
Carolina Gomezs works has become known for the powerful questions they pose about personal female identity and societys views towards women. The paintings focus on the female pop culture icon, impeccably recreated on canvas with oil and with what one might consider the most important part of the icon, the face, hidden. However, the icon's face is not simply hidden with just anything but with precious gems of all sorts; diamonds, quarts, topazes, rubies, etc. The gems themselves take on a life of their own because of their commanding vividness and technical precision.
The magazine cover assemblages are another part of Mirror Stone. The faces of these icons are also covered with stones but unlike her paintings, these magazine cover models have small imitation stones adhered to their faces. A Colombian critic and curator, Eduardo Serrano, described the complexity of these magazine covers as works that reinforce with dazzling presence notions surrounding glamour and exuberance, fluff and superficiality, as well as authenticity and imitation jewelry, that prompts its production.
Carolina Gomez was born and currently lives in Bogotá, Colombia. In 2001 she started her formal training as a jeweler and soon after Carolina Gomez began to combine contemporary art and her jewelry experience. The result of this interplay is still seen prominently throughout her work today.