Q&A [Question and Artist]: Gabe Medina

The Brea Gallery is thrilled to share an exclusive interview with Southern California ceramic artist Gabe Medina. Gabe’s artwork, “Los Nisperos” is on view in the 39th annual Made in California exhibition through June 23, 2024.

[Brea Gallery]: Can you please introduce yourself and share with us who you are as an artist?

[Gabe]: I am a first generation Mexican-American artist and community organizer born and based in South Central LA. Being based in South Central my entire life has informed both my work as an artist and a community member. As an artist I am interested in exploring subjects of Mexican-American identity, cultural hybridity and familial history. As a community organizer I'm interested in community engagement through the arts in working class communities like mine that have been historically underserved. Aside from all that, I really just have a deep love of ceramics and working with clay because it's such a tactile medium. I'm a huge cat lover, coffee drinker and you can always find me blasting 80’s music in my studio.

[Brea Gallery]: How and why did you become an artist?

[Gabe]: I think like most artists I have always been a maker. I can't really remember a time in my life where I wasn't always thinking of art or deep in some sort of craft project, but I don't think I started to actually call myself an artist until my time in my undergraduate studies. I received my B.A in Studio Art from Cal State University Dominguez Hills and it’s in that program where I really came into my own. The professors there are really supportive and were very good about exposing me to new manners of working and gave me valuable insight into what it's like being an artist. It was at CSUDH where I was introduced to ceramics and I haven't looked back since.

[Brea Gallery]: Where do you find inspiration?

[Gabe]: At the moment so much of my work is informed by my family’s agricultural history in relation to the land. My family comes from a small town in the state of Michoacán Mexico known as El Salitre. Having had access to large fields of land in Mexico they were able to sustain themselves through various different crops. However, within one generation regular access to the land is severed through my family’s immigration. Despite this loss my family still cultivates in our family garden the same plant life that is Indigenous to Michoacán. Nopales, Corn, Aloe Vera, and Rose Bushes are among the plants we now persistently grow here and other communities like South Central. I am always inspired by how just like our plant life, my family still roots in urban communities and terraforms their environment to reconnect with our home in Mexico.

[Brea Gallery]: Your sculptures, "Los Nisperos" are made using red clay; can you please describe the significance of the medium to your work?

[Gabe]: Ceramic vessels and clay objects play an important part of my approach due to their presence, historical functional and ritual use deeply embedded in Mexican homes. I take an interest in Mexican cultural artifacts hailing from Michoacán. Working with clay, more specifically hand building, helps me reconnect with traditional pottery practices from that region. In my work I like to reference the form of traditional vessels but then reinvent them by exaggerating proportions, removing function and adding elements of contemporary South Central LA environment. I do this in an effort to explore how physical and cultural borders of identity are warped through immigration.

[Brea Gallery]: You also spend your time as a community organizer. Are there ways that you would like to see community being developed in the art world?

[Gabe]: Yes! I think having a community that you can rely on is essential, especially in the art world. Artists in general I find are already very antisocial, so It’s so easy to hole up in your studio space and become a hermit. Community is important because it gives us a sense of belonging in spaces, and lets be real it’s nice to have a network of people supporting you. I believe having more opportunities to build community in the art world is important for this, especially in areas like South East LA where opportunities are already scarce.

[Brea Gallery]: Who are some of your favorite artists?

[Gabe]: I love this question! Roberto Lugo is an artist whose work I am always looking at. I’m also really inspired by Claudia V. Solorzano, Guadalupe Rosales and Saj Issa. They are just a few of the many artists that I am always excited to see what they are working on, definitely check out their work.

[Brea Gallery]: What is your next big goal for your art career?

[Gabe]: At the moment my next big goal is to receive my MFA in ceramics and to keep developing this body of work. I also want to continue building community in other art spaces and bridge my work as a community organizer with my work as an artist.

[Brea Gallery]: What advice do you have for emerging artists? What would you say to someone who is considering submitting artwork for MICA next year?

[Gabe]: To all my fellow emerging artists, keep doing the work. Focus on creating and the rest will fall into place, also don't be afraid to look to others for inspiration. If you are considering submitting art work for next years Made In California this is your sign to do so!!! Through the show I have already met so many new amazing artists and have begun to expand my community, it's worth it for that alone!

[Brea Gallery]: Where else can people see your work and what's coming up next?

[Gabe]: You can find my work on instagram @gxbe.studio I am also excited to share that I am a 2024 Protege Mentee with ARTS4LA and I'll be working on some exciting projects with my cohort through there so keep a lookout for that stuff! I am also proud to announce that this Fall I will be pursuing my MFA degree in Ceramics at CSULB!

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Thank you, Gabe! We greatly appreciate your time in sharing some insight with us about your creative practices and what works best for you as an artist .

Be sure to follow Gabe’s website and follow his social media accounts! Visitors can view these incredible pieces in person at the Brea Gallery until June 23rd, 2024.

We are open Wednesday - Sunday

12pm-5pm

General Admission $3

Made in California 2024 is on display now through June 23rd