Kathryn Gohmert

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kathryn Gohmert. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Kathryn, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

Well one of the reasons my paintings highlight the power the mind plays in forming reality, is that I’ve experienced directly how our minds are often more resilient and powerful than we realize.

Losing my vision temporarily was a massive reset, and during the months I couldn’t see, I had to reexamine everything in my life and realize that what got me here, wasn’t going to get me there. I had to completely recalibrate my way of thinking and moving through the world. It was an incredible paradigm shift and I will always be grateful to the people that allowed me to step back into my life and continue my life’s work.

Sometimes we are forced to reexamine how we see the world before we can move to the next level. I’m very grateful there was a next level, for me and my art

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

My work focuses on connection and memory: I create experiences using objects and installations, and then document these experiences in paintings and drawings. My paintings especially have been focused on interactions related to the brain now for over a decade.

I identify with scientists and like a scientist, am also continually in wonder and awe with the human thinking process, our human experiment. This is also why my paintings honor the scientific process so directly.

Through my personal work as an artist I want to contribute to positive transformation. And I believe that change can take place on an individual and collective level through authentic works that connect with people.

This experience with connection – seeing people react in realtime and including them with the work itself – especially in unexpected ways, guided me to make “living artworks” to directly impact the world around me.

This is why I believe art can alter people’s perspectives in a way direct conversations often aren’t capable of. Leading people into a state of play is a way of opening their minds and allowing a moment where anything is possible, any idea, any belief. People may forget an artwork, but they rarely forget an experience. And including them in an experience where they can then draw their own conclusions is a very respectful and much more alive way of changing people’s minds than arguing with them.

I’m very excited that on August 24, Gonzomechanics – the artist collective I founded – will be presenting our first public exhibition as part of Kunstfest Weimar at Stockwerk Project Space in Weimar, Germany. Our interactive exhibition MEHR MENSCH ALS MENSCH (More Human than Human) will collect stories and experiences from marginalized communities and use these as a starting point to “complicate” AI, and bring a better version of it into the future with us.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Firstly, I would say curiosity. Staying curious is a valuable practice to develop. It is incredibly helpful in maintaining connection with the world and people around us, and is a great motivator for self-improvement. It also serves to keep the journey interesting.

The second would be vision. Although inspiration is helpful I don’t think it is something to rely on. What is more useful is having an idea of what we want the films of our life and our life’s work to look like at the end. What are the “why’s” behind what we are doing? Are they bigger than us? If not, then it is time to reexamine. Once the “why’s” are figured out, we can form the plot of our lives by going backwards from there (like making a work of art).

And finally, I would say accountability. And when I say accountability, I mean in three directions. Accountability with oneself is important for an artist, as is holding the times and world we live in accountable by reflecting them honestly. The third kind of accountability is in the allies we have in other artists, as we hold each other accountable for what we create. Is this an honest artwork, or is there something off? Another artist would catch it immediately and point it out. Then it’s up to us to revise it until it works.

Anyone early in their journey I would advise to pay special attention to the people they choose to collaborate and spend the most time with. Seriously. The people that can inspire, encourage and also be honest with you are like gold. They can keep you on your path and also celebrate with you when great things happen.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?

The book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance changed me forever. It made me realize that art needs to be guided by the idea of quality and not beauty. Because where beauty can be subjective, quality is something we can intuitively sense as humans. I think every person can sense when something is a work of quality. It can be a wonderful guide to realize creative work in the best way possible, which is often also the most elegant way possible. I also especially love in this book that this philosophical concept is broken down by taking apart a greasy motor. What could be more appropriate?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kathryngohmert.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kathryn_gohmert_studio/
• Other: https://gonzomechanics.com/artists

Image Credits

Image 1: Kathe Gutierrez
Image 2: Kathe Gutierrez
Image 3: Alena Schmick
Image 4: Alena Schmick
Image 5: Carlos Santos