Goicolea, Anthony

American, b. 1971

BiographyAnthony Goicolea creates fantastic photographic tableaux that provocatively explore the eccentricities of adolescence. Using makeup, wigs, and costumes, Goicolea–now well past adolescence–transforms himself into the cute, pubescent protagonists of his pictures, essentially performing the metamorphosis of adolescence in reverse. He then utilizes digital technology to place his character multiple times in each photograph, creating a world in which identical boys act out oddball scenarios with their own doubles. Unlike his earlier images, which depict the dangers and desires that lie just below the surface of adolescence, the Detention series places his “characters” in scenes with an ambiguous, repressive institutional danger lurking just outside the frame. In Blizzard, for example, we cannot be sure whether the boys are running from a threat on their side of the fence, or peering over the fence at a potential threat; likewise, the only adult figure in the photograph can be interpreted either as a protector or as an aggressor. The photograph alludes to genetic engineering, tyrannical governments, and even detention camps as it depicts Goicolea’s eerie dystopian vision.

Born in 1971, Anthony Goicolea was educated at the University of Georgia (BA, 1992; BFA, 1994) and Pratt Institute of Art (MFA, 1996). His exhibitions include solo exhibitions at the Contemporary Center of Photography, Melbourne, Australia; the Torch Gallery, Amsterdam; and the Museum of Contemporary Photography. In addition, Goicolea’s works are held in the collections of the University of Georgia Library, as well as the Yale University Art Collection. He currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.