CARSON CITY – Las Vegas mixed media artist Antonio Gomez knows all too well the devastating effects Alzheimer’s disease can have on a family.
He lost his father to it a decade ago and recently learned his mother had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
Image credit: Antonio Gomez, Si te hablo no te escucho, mixed media, 2019
It is with his mother’s blessing that Gomez is creating art to give a voice to those victimized by the disease. His exhibit, “Desambiguacion del Amor,” is on display at the Nevada Legislature building and the Nevada Arts Council’s LXS Gallery.
“My mother is still in the early stages of the disease and I have had numerous conversations with her about her terrible predicament and the uncertain, dark future that she has been forced to face,” Gomez said. “Through these conversations, my mother and I have undertaken the challenge of creating images that depict her current state: her inability to remember things, her persisting memories of her childhood, the way she feels she is being treated as an Alzheimer’s patient, and even the feelings of despair when forced confront her reality.”
Gomez hopes his art, a tribute to his mother, can be an inspiration for people to hold conversations about the effects of the disease and to bring awareness to the need to find a cure for Alzheimer’s.
“It is a series that connects me — a devastating love letter — my good-bye to the person who gave me life,” he said.
Born in Mexico, Gomez started his journey as a photographer when he discovered the work of photographer Henry Cartier-Bresson while stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army. Soon after his discharge from the army, he attended the College of Creative Studies in Detroit, earning a B.F.A. in applied photography. He went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Fine Art from Wayne State University.
Gomez moved to Las Vegas Nevada in 2004 and teaches full time at the College of Southern Nevada. To learn more about Antonio Gomez, or to purchase his work, go to https://www.jantoniogomez.com.
The exhibit is located on the first floor of the Legislature Building across the hall from the Caucus Deli. Gomez is the third of the six artists and his exhibit will remain in place through April 6.
Other Nevada artists scheduled for exhibition during the session include:
April 8-26: Melissa Melero, Happy Valley, “Translating Paiute,” Mixed Media on Canvas
April 29-May 17: Lolita Develay, Las Vegas, “Facts and Figures,” Painting
May 20-June 7: Patricia Wallis, Reno, “Bits and Pieces of the Silver State,” Painting
Managed by Nevada Arts Council, the Legislative eXhibition Series (LXS) Gallery space is located on the first floor across from the Caucus Deli in the Legislative Building, 401 South Carson Street, Carson City. Since 1985, LXS has displayed artwork by 140 Nevada’s visual artists during the biennial legislative session.
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