ella/elle | she/they
b.1989
República Dominicana
Artist Statement:
ReconoceR
(To Recognize)
Sculpture, painting, weaving, photography, and performance are among the media I utilize to explore the intersections of identity, ancestral connection, community, and healing.
My current bodies of work, LovingSUITS and ¿Cómo se sana? investigate intergenerational knowledge and practices of care. I craft soft-weighted arms in tender hues of baby blue and pink, infused with rosemary and frankincense, creating embraces that offer both physical and aromatic comfort. Hand-crafted ceramic vessels resembling interconnected limbs serve as containers for ritual and remembrance, holding Agua Florida or incense.
I incorporate beadwork and threading techniques on paper and fabric as offerings to ancestors and markers of hope. Stocky deep purple, warm pink, and golden yellow figures intertwine with symbols drawn from Afro-Indigenous Caribbean spiritual practices. The layers of acrylic, ink, embroidery, and pencil reveal hidden phrases, botanical elements, suggesting the ever-present nature of ancestral wisdom.
Water appears in rippling surfaces and fluid forms that speak to transformation. This element manifests both literally and metaphorically; from painted waves embracing figures to actual vessels held in water, creating a dialogue between the physical and spiritual realms.
In a more confrontational tone, there is Mami. This series of cheeky, interactive performances, where the expectations of women's gendered Latinidad are embodied with a twist, resists stereotypes through subversion.
My work acknowledges the complex strategies of existing and resisting. Through the integration of traditional practices and contemporary forms, my work creates spaces for reflection on how we might carry forward while nurturing paths toward collective liberation.
2025
Gina Goico is a multidisciplinary artist, educator and self-proclaimed necia. Through their work, Goico navigates their identity and the spaces where they exist in the Dominican Republic and the United States. Through their career they have come to create a diverse body of work that ranges from embroidery to installations, ink drawings and performance. Goico also facilitates spaces for temporary communities and dialogues around healing in the current status quo.
Goico was a Van Lier Fellow and artist in residence with Smack Mellon. They also participated in AIM fellowship at The Bronx Museum of the Arts; The Laundromat Project, Kelly Street Resident Artist, among others. They have exhibited in the US and the Dominican Republic, and continue to actively support socio-political initiatives in the island and in diaspora. Goico holds an AAS in Fine Arts and Illustration from Altos de Chavon the School of Design in the Dominican Republic and a BFA in Fine Arts from Parsons. They also hold a MA in Arts Politics from NYU and is a PhD student in Performing and Media Arts at Cornell.
ESP:
Gina Goico es une artista multidisciplinarie, educadora y una persona requete necia. A través de su trabajo Goico aborda los temas de construcción de identidad post-colonial, género y como el contexto moldea estos. A lo largo de su carrera ha llegado a crear un cuerpo de trabajo diverso que va desde el bordado hasta las instalaciones, los dibujos a tinta y performance. Goico también facilita espacios para comunidades temporales y diálogos en torno a sanar el trauma intergeneracional en personas feminizadas Dominicanes.
Goico fue un Van Lier Fellow y artista residente con Smack Mellon. También participó en la beca AIM en el Museo de las Artes del Bronx; The Laundromat Project, Kelly Street Resident Artist, entre otros. Ha expuesto en Estados Unidos y República Dominicana y continúa apoyando iniciativas sociopolíticas en la isla y en la diáspora. Goico tiene un título técnico en Bellas Artes e Ilustración de Altos de Chavón y una licenciatura en Bellas Artes de Parsons. También tiene una maestría en Arte Política de NYU y es estudiante de doctorado en Estudios de Performance y Media en Cornell.
Contact:
ginagoico@gmail.com