In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Karina Gomez's art exhibit Lotería will be on exhibit from September 1 through September 30 on the third floor of Harold Washington Library Center.
Artist Statement
The series of drawings was inspired by the ubiquitous Loteria game (Mexican bingo). I changed the traditional iconography of the Loteria to reflect my experiences, childhood memories and my life as a Mexican immigrant living in Chicago. And as such, you can find "La Chalupa" card being replaced for a Western CTA bus named la Limosina (the limousine), "El Barril" replaced by the hat of El Chavo del Ocho and so on.
Most of the drawings are easily recognizable from Mexican pop culture and idioms, and some drawings are very personal. All the drawings were created with a few art supplies fitting inside a pencil case during my lunch break or coffee and restaurants around Chicago. All were made with a small set of watercolors, mechanical pencil, black pen and a bottle of copper ink as depicted on card number 3 "La Terapia" (Therapy). I see all these small drawings as a reflection of my self, as tools to cope with the happiness and stresses of everyday life, and as colorful witnesses of the fleeting moments of this show we call life.
