JOAQUIN GODINES
home paintings illustrations sculpture & apparel about
home paintings illustrations sculpture & apparel about
“If you follow your gut through the forest, take a left and thread through the dead trees, venture until you see the large willow tree that billows within the wind, go through the drapery of foliage, and continue walking until you see the shack devoured in hay– You'll find a world that holds fantasy, mystery, deception, love, anxiety, and desire. There’s a constant wind that is blowing through the trees, through the walls, and through your hair. It smells of wet dirt, lavish fruits, dirty socks, and fancy tonka cologne. There are tall, slender trees that twist and turn with stories kept hidden inside their bark.
The soft dirt is paraded with carriage tracks, shit, and expensive, lavish footwear that scores the ground below. Mounds of hay seem to engulf the interior of buildings and pile around trees. This hay feels heavy with labor, masculinity, and ideas of traditional values.
The people in this land seem to indulge in what it means to be human. They feel love, desire, fear, and the overwhelm of navigating a world filled with so much to learn. They wear striped socks and fantastic clothes that help them understand and embrace who they really are. They don’t fear judgment; they embrace the stares and continue with confidence. Like the torturous tree, these characters seem to hold magic, but they also conceal their own secrets within. Some people in this land are full of confidence and self-love, and fully understand who they are; others can be selfish, uncomfortable with themselves, and full of lust and greed.
These characters hold stories that are shaped by the world they’ve experienced and had to learn from. They are all just searching for whatever it is that brings them joy. Most people within this land seem to hold and maintain an ambiguity; they hold faces that seem to keep something hidden. As the viewer, you have to engage with these characters, but ultimately you’re left guessing how they truly feel.
This world I create is a way of understanding the complexities of identity, specifically concerning queer and masculine expression and ideals. Through this metaphorical landscape, I explore the tension between societal expectations of 'heavy labor, masculinity, and traditional values' and the vibrant, unapologetic queer men who lavish in expressive clothing. My work is a means of processing the anxiety of conformity and understanding my relationship with my queer identity.
The soft dirt is paraded with carriage tracks, shit, and expensive, lavish footwear that scores the ground below. Mounds of hay seem to engulf the interior of buildings and pile around trees. This hay feels heavy with labor, masculinity, and ideas of traditional values.
The people in this land seem to indulge in what it means to be human. They feel love, desire, fear, and the overwhelm of navigating a world filled with so much to learn. They wear striped socks and fantastic clothes that help them understand and embrace who they really are. They don’t fear judgment; they embrace the stares and continue with confidence. Like the torturous tree, these characters seem to hold magic, but they also conceal their own secrets within. Some people in this land are full of confidence and self-love, and fully understand who they are; others can be selfish, uncomfortable with themselves, and full of lust and greed.
These characters hold stories that are shaped by the world they’ve experienced and had to learn from. They are all just searching for whatever it is that brings them joy. Most people within this land seem to hold and maintain an ambiguity; they hold faces that seem to keep something hidden. As the viewer, you have to engage with these characters, but ultimately you’re left guessing how they truly feel.
This world I create is a way of understanding the complexities of identity, specifically concerning queer and masculine expression and ideals. Through this metaphorical landscape, I explore the tension between societal expectations of 'heavy labor, masculinity, and traditional values' and the vibrant, unapologetic queer men who lavish in expressive clothing. My work is a means of processing the anxiety of conformity and understanding my relationship with my queer identity.