The Mystery in Painting

Gonzalo García is a painter based in Mexico City. Throughout his body of work, he juxtaposes a deeply personal exploration of the self with an investigation of larger social and historical themes of nationhood and culture in Mexico. From addressing issues of prominent violent events, the sexualization and vulnerability of the body, and identity within the homosexual community.

“Your work has been exhibited in various group shows, including at the Kornfeld Galerie here in Berlin. How do you approach group shows, and how do you collaborate with curators?

For me, I think it's about discovering new ways to interpret my work through these collaborations. For example, the Kornfield Gallery show curated by Nina Chkareuli-Mdivani, an amazing New York-based curator. She has a great way of interpreting works and finding conversations between them. Her interpretation of the works was new to me and it was a great opportunity to understand more about my practice.

I also had the opportunity to get to know Rusudan Khizanishvili, who was also part of the group show, very well on the trip to Berlin. I think we have a lot in common. Painting is a universal language, and I've noticed that approaches to painting in Mexico and Georgia—where Rusudan is from—are similar. Maybe the issues are different, but the artistic experience of making paintings has many similar processes. So you connect with other artists on a deeper level. It's not only because you like their work on Instagram, but also because you understand the human aspect of their work through those types of conversations. I think that's amazing.

Whether you are a painter from Latin America, China, or elsewhere, your heritage and experience as a human being help you understand your issues with the topics you are trying to portray in your paintings.”

Interview by Paul Prell