Artist
Statement
Rachel "Spicy Gobou" Aquino is a multidisciplinary artist, mythical being, and never-ending silly little performance. Their work explores themes of existentialism, identity, liberation, dream magic, absurdity, and mortality. "If my life is a mere performance, it won't be for prestige, but for joy.”
Gobou’s art utilizes the ego, forms, and the body as a vessel of expression. Their art prospects how both real and imagined concepts exist in congruence to a sense of self. Their artistic process fuses cybernetic consciousness, movement, imagery, and experimental techniques, yielding an unreserved body of work that investigates how they can traverse playscapes of the mind and body.
Gobou's art can be interpreted as devoid of any universal meaning, emphasizing personal choice and the ultimate unseriousness of life. They pay a playful tribute to the contradictions within the human condition. With influence from the experiences of tragedy and hope, their art inspires viewers to contemplate their own place in the world through an expansive and restorative lens. By challenging the status quo and embracing the uncomfortable, Gobou's art offers a sense of catharsis and exploration.