Image Courtesy of the New York Times, Carlos Jaramillo for The New York Times
Alum Sayre Gomez's LA Exhibition Featured in the New York Times
School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) alum Sayre Gomez (BFA 2005) is featured in the New York Times for his exhibition Precious Moments, a new body of work that transforms Los Angeles’s urban crises into hyper-real form.
Open through March 1 at David Kordansky Gallery, Gomez uses Precious Moments to record the material traces of stalled development, homelessness, and infrastructure neglect. Known for photorealistic airbrushed paintings and carefully fabricated sculptures, Gomez’ new exhibition is centered around a nearly nine-foot sculpture replicating the unfinished, graffiti-covered Oceanwide Plaza skyscraper. The model was reconstructed using drone imagery, digital modeling, and printed reproductions of photographed tags.
Drawing from his background in graffiti, graphic design, and fine art, Gomez renders these environments with meticulous precision and allows architecture and surface to convey the social and economic pressures shaping contemporary Los Angeles.
As the Chicago Imagists approach the 60th anniversary of their emergence, the movement is seeing a surge of long-overdue recognition, as reported by WBEZ.
Image courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
Gladys Nilsson works on a commissioned mural in the Modern Cafe at the Art Institute earlier in 2025.