New York-based artist Samuel Gomez is a self-described storyteller. His recent work, Deadpan Comedy, is a monumental 5 x 7.5’ drawing made with graphite and ink on American Master Paper. Mechanical, spherical forms swirl in and among one another to create a multi-dimensional framework. Inside, Gomez inserts tiny, textural forms and instruments that convince the viewer he is looking at an apparatus in action. A sky rapt with dark clouds and tornados fills the background, developing an ominous setting for Gomez’s graphic story. Ropes and chains holding ordinary objects like bells, guitars and cars fall from the outer edge of the canvas and descend onto the structure as if in an air invasion.
The sentiment of war is further intensified when one notices a series of small figures standing on one of the shining, sloping edges of the colossal machine. The intricate work begs the viewer to stand close, to examine each individual part with an amenable eye. Upon stepping back and seeing the piece as a whole, the viewer pieces together her own narrative, considering the function of each component as it relates to issues of socioeconomic class, technology, the environment and other wide-reaching concerns.
