Project Atrium: Gustavo Godoy
Nov. 19, 2011 — March 11, 2012
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Gustavo Godoy was born in Ontario, California, in 1974 to a Mexican-American family who emigrated to the U.S. via Tijuana. In part, his melding of art and construction are the product of his dual education. Holding a bachelor’s degree in Studio Art from UC Santa Barbara, Godoy studied architecture and urban design at UCLA and later received an M.F.A. from Vermont College. Throughout his childhood, his parents had demonstrated how to make the most of the materials around him, and those formative lessons about adaptability and ingenuity are an integral part of his process and aesthetic today. He prides himself on being “scrappy”—committed to reusing, recycling, and harnessing found and discarded materials to create works that transcend, ennoble and at the same time celebrate their modest origins.
Empty Altar / Empty Throne, designed for the dimensions and scale of the Haskell Atrium Gallery, was created with these elements in mind. For Project Atrium, the artist drew inspiration from belief systems and their outwardly manifestations—altars, shrines and sacred sites. The sculpture’s lofty proportions, piercing spire and grotto-like shrine are reminiscent of a Gothic cathedral. Its shimmering shape is bathed in the luminous glow of silver paint. In contrast to its divine inspiration, however, the sculpture was created from humble, ordinary materials. The flooring and sculpture are made primarily of plywood and the silver paint is routinely used as a coating on building roofs to prevent heat radiation. Given this tangible connection to urban construction, it is not surprising that Godoy found inspiration for this work not only in the lofty realm of sacred practice and imagery, but also in the beauty of Jacksonville’s industrial design, such as the iron trusses and simple geometry of the Mathews Bridge.
While the sculpture is shaped by these influences and materials, Godoy also invites and expects the viewer to play an active, even transformative role in the work. Designed to be walked into and through, Godoy’s sculptures are interactive environments that encourage a childhood playful sense of wonder and discovery. His works often feature ramps, openings and multiple vantage points that encourage you to walk in, around, through or on top of the work. This invitation seeks to transform our role from passive viewer of the art to an active participant within. Moreover, this sculpture engages the public not only physically, but also conceptually. As Godoy explains, the stark, angular form of the piece is an armature for the ideas of the viewer. The work is a skeleton whose flesh and skin is shaped by the knowledge, history and beliefs of its collaborators—the public.
Godoy has had solo exhibitions at Honor Fraser, Prism and The Happy Lion—all in Los Angeles—and at the Wexner Center for the Arts, The Ohio State University. He has also participated in group exhibitions at Sea Line Gallery (Los Angeles, CA); Barbara Davis Gallery (Houston, TX); OHWOW (Miami, FL); Centre d’art contemporain du Parc Saint Léger (Pougues-les-Eaux, France); Mexico Arte Contemporaneo (Mexico City, Mexico); and 1708 Gallery (Richmond, VA).
Project Atrium: Presenting Sponsor:
Project Atrium: Series Sponsors:
Agility Press
Arbus Magazine
The Boeing Company
The City of Jacksonville
Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville
Driver, McAfee, Peek & Hawthorne, P.L
Folio Weekly
Omni Hotels & Resorts
WJCT Public Broadcasting
MOCA Jacksonville is a cultural resource of and funded in part by the University of North Florida with additional funding by the City of Jacksonville; Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville; the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and by the generous support of its members.
Member’s Opening
Thursday, Nov. 17,
6-8 p.m.
Free for Members
Please RSVP
(904) 366-6911 ext. 208
Public Programs
Saturday, Nov. 19, 2 p.m.
Inside Project Atrium: Gustavo Godoy
Sculptor Gustavo Godoy leads an intimate talk about his process, career and the MOCA installation.
Free with admission or membership.
MOCA Theater