Meet a NYFA Artist: Gabriel Barcia-Colombo

NYFA speaks with 2008 Video Fellow Gabriel Barcia-Colombo.

NYFA: Hi Gabriel! Please tell us what are you working on and/or what’s coming up for you.

GBC: Currently I am working on a series of video taxidermy time capsules. Each time capsule consists of a different part of my body on video embedded in a suitcase. The suitcases are to be buried and unearthed in the future. I’m interested in preserving the human body digitally…taxidermy with technology

NYFA: How did you choose your medium and what do you most appreciate about it?

GBC: I love working with video as a medium for sculpture and installation. I appreciate the fact that video is such a dynamic interactive medium. I can create sculptures that move, emote and react. Sculptures that are alive.

NYFA: Do you collect anything?

GBC: I collect too many things. From rare hot sauce to old piggy banks to antique glass bell jars. My apartment is a very small Museum of Jurassic Technology.

NYFA: How do you start on a project?

GBC: I always start with a visual. My last project entitled Separation Anxiety actually came to me in a dream. It’s the first time something like this has happened to me. In the dream I was wandering through an art gallery and I saw an exhibit which featured a white suitcase with a portal in which I saw a tiny version of myself floating as if in the womb. I woke up and thought “Wow what a great installation! Too bad It was already made!” and then once I woke up fully realized that it was all in my head. The next day I went out and found an old suitcase at a flea market, spray painted it white and cut out a hole.

NYFA: What are your goals for the future?

GBC: I want to keep making installations until I run out of ideas. I am looking forward to the day where I have no idea what I’ll do next. I also want to show my work all over the world. (Which NYFA has helped with!)

NYFA: What is one technology that you’d like to see developed?

GBC: I would love to see haptics developed futher and incorporated into art installation. Haptic technology refers to technology that interfaces to the user via the sense of touch by applying forces, vibrations, and/or motions to the user. Imagine if we could create art that both physically and emotionally touched an audience.

NYFA: What is your studio/workspace like?

GBC: I currently don’t have a committed studio/workspace but am looking like mad! Have you heard of a good deal? Right now I’m working out of my apartment but the room is getting tinier and tinier.

NYFA: What advice do you have for young artists?

GBC: Make sure you are creating for yourself. Don’t change your art for anyone but yourself.

NYFA: What role has the NYFA Fellowship played in your life?

GBC: The Fellowship has been an amazing opportunity in many ways. I’ve received offers for shows all over the world based on the NYFA fellows listing. I’ve also used the money from the grant to finance the supplies for my installations over the past year. Without this fellowship I may not have been able to create video pieces that integrate screens, projectors and interactive technology.

For more information on Gabriel Barcia-Colombo, visit his website.