Anthony Goicolea

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Anthony Goicolea, “Reverse Repoussoir,” 2019

oil paint on double-sided frosted mylar, mounted to board, 91” x 54” (courtesy of the artist and Monte Clark Gallery, Vancouver)

American artist Anthony Goicolea, born in 1971 to parents who had fled Cuba 10 years earlier, often alludes to identity, alienation and personal history in staged and manipulated photographs, frequently using himself as a model.

As his visual narratives expanded after his artistic debut in the late 1990s, his references grew to include religion, literature and art history. And, over the last decade, he has branched into painting, drawing and sculpture. 

Vancouver’s Monte Clark Gallery, which has represented Goicolea for almost 15 years, is showing 28 of his latest drawings, paintings and photographs in Lost and Found, on view until Sept. 14. Goicolea chose the title because he used unfinished pieces lingering in his studio to create new works.

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Anthony Goicolea, “Lost and Found,” 2019

installation view of exhibition at Monte Clark Gallery, Vancouver (Image courtesy Monte Clark Gallery)

For instance, Reverse Repoussoir, an oil painting on double-frosted mylar film, depicts a gothic scene of a man standing on a rocky outcrop above splashing waves. He has opened his dark overcoat to reveal not wares for sale, but imagery of telephone poles, street lamps and silhouetted trees. The painting has the greenish-yellow glow of death. 

Goicolea’s works are painted on both the front and back of velum or frosted mylar, giving an unusual sense of depth. Mesmerizing and perplexing, their diverse references prompt questions but offer no clear answers. It’s complex work by a complex artist.

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Anthony Goicolea, “Portrait of a Girl with Freckles,” 2019

ink, acrylic and oil paint on 300lb hot-press watercolour paper, mounted to board, 17.8” x 16.5” (courtesy of the artist and Monte Clark Gallery, Vancouver)

Goicolea drew attention recently for designing New York City’s first official monument to the LGBTQ+ community. It’s composed of nine boulders placed in a ring in Hudson River Park. Some are bisected by glass that acts as a prism and emits rainbows. People are welcome to sit on the rocks.

Goicolea told the New York Times he had little opportunity to see a gay community reflected back to him when he was growing up in Georgia. Finding gay people openly expressing themselves in New York was revelatory. “There was no apology for it,” said Goicolea, who lives with his husband in Brooklyn.

His work is in many permanent collections, including New York’s Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Guggenheim Museum. ■ 

Lost and Found is on view at the Monte Clark Gallery in Vancouver from Aug. 15 to Sept. 14, 2019.

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