Over the past decade, Goicolea's staged, sometimes digitally constructed, often performance based, images, videos as well as drawings have introduced his audiences to a haunting and humorous collection of adolescent caricatures and visions of a natural world in a state pre apocalyptic transformation.
As if being passed a methodological torch from artist Henry Darger, Goicolea shares with his audiences an epic personal mythology revealing the insights and struggles of an artist creatively interpreting the existential and societal dilemmas of his past, the present, and predicted future. His work examines a broad range of topics including but not limited to romanticism, personal identity, mythology, masculinity, ritual, obsession, sexuality, environmentalism and of course, adolescence.
Over the years, the iconic prep school pranksters, of his popular series "YOU and What Army" have matured in front of our very eyes, discarding their collegiate uniforms and graduating, rather surviving, the important socialization lessons of the ivy covered playgrounds of the rich,... the privileged... the elite to whom their futures have been committed - paid for in advance.
Goicolea's most recent work has taken on a menacing and prophetic tone. The work is eerily responsive to the seemingly increasing and ever present threats of war, corporate scandal, government corruption, and nobel awarded warnings of impending environmental doom that the artist and his audiences face and cope with individually everyday. The "little Anthonies" have grown up and are struggling with the realities of a world that is willing to enslave them -- cause harm-- sacrifice their innocence in the name of power, wealth, and greed. At times, they seem incapable of escaping this imprisonment -- slowly falling prey to abuse
- -- but now and then they escape -- stand as one, a united army of red hoods and ski masks .. the artist's army of multiplicity ... organized, strategizing , training, engaging in ritualistic behaviors of a united clan , seemingly poised...
At these times one wonders of their intentions .. Is it
... to incite rebellion in us from a wilderness outside the boundaries of the savagely civilized --- provide a new way of life-- ???
... or ...to teach us to run, to hide, to devise survival skills in a threatening world built upon the remains of an eden forgotten ... discarded by others, being killed by previous generations??
More importantly, are the characters and landscapes of this artist's mythology emblematic of his growing despair towards our shared future or are they Saviors -- protecting his idealism --- providing us a bit of hope?
--- Only the artist himself knows.
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