Artist Raúl Gonzo and Curator Francesca Wilmott Dive Into Color Madness

Raúl Gonzo: Color Madness is a new exhibition at the Crocker curated by Francesca Wilmott, PhD. The show is Gonzo’s first museum exhibition and includes a selection of photographs taken from 2015 through today, as well as a new immersive installation that invites the public into Gonzo’s technicolor dream world. In this interview, Gonzo and Wilmott take us behind-the-scenes on the artist’s creative journey and approach.

FW: Raúl, I’d love to hear more about your creative process. How do your ideas for a photo shoot start percolating?

RG: Generally, I have an idea that makes me laugh and I write it down. I have a long list of ideas, probably hundreds written down. When I have time, I look over these ideas and decide which is my favorite. I then sketch out that idea to figure out the details: largely composition, color scheme, set construction, wardrobe, hair, and makeup. It usually takes about a month once I get going, but if it’s a complicated idea, it may take much longer.

FW: Yes, the complexity of your process really came through the more time I spent with the images. For example, in Half of Everything, you not only physically severed objects like a grandfather clock, television monitor, and floor lamp in half, but you also carried the concept into your color distribution. Vibrant pops of pink on each half of the image tie the whole composition together.

Raúl Gonzo (American, born 1979), Half of Everything, 2020. Fujiflex print, 36 x 24 in. Courtesy of the Artist.

FW: How did you first become interested in photography?

RG: When I was about eight, my dad bought me a camera that took 110mm film cassettes. We were quite poor, so I was only able to use it twice, but both times the pictures turned out well. Later, I took photography in college and finally learned to use a 35mm SLR camera and work in a dark room. This segued soon to cinematography as I moved to television and making short films.

Eventually, I started making music videos and found that I really enjoyed it, but, after many years, I began to feel dissatisfied with having so many of my ideas left unused. I decided to start shooting photography again. I started with the only professional camera I had at the time—a Red Dragon, which is actually a digital motion camera—but soon I started buying film cameras such as a Hasselblad 500 C/M, a Polaroid 600SE, a Pentax 6x7, and a View-master 3D. I would shoot on multiple cameras for each shoot and still do most of the time. I have since added a Rolleiflex, Nikon D810, and a Hasselblad H3DII.

Generally, I start my concepts by sketching a visual joke. Usually, this makes for a great photo, but sometimes it makes for a better illustration or comedy bit. Occasionally, it works for multiple mediums.

FW: The exhibition focuses on Color Madness, a photo series you started in 2015. You once shared with me that you intended Color Madness to be a short-lived experiment, but nine years later it continues to inspire you! Can you tell me more about Color Madness and how it began?

RG: As I mentioned earlier, I started shooting photography again when I felt I had many unrealized concepts that were going to go to waste. I didn’t immediately start painting the objects and sets in vibrant colors though. I was shooting dramatic imagery and felt it was missing something.

It was obvious from my use of vivid party gels that I was trying to add more color to my imagery with lights, but it wasn’t enough. I couldn’t get things colorful enough! In 2015, my partner gave me a Miles Aldridge photography book. When I saw the sort of color that is commonly found in Europe and featured in much of his imagery, it gave me an idea. To me, it was the best and most novel idea I’d ever had. Several months before receiving that book I had painted a music video set all white and there was something so fun about its uniformity and having an item that might not normally be completely white painted that way. I had a “eureka” moment! If I couldn’t find sets and props that were the right colors, I would make them myself. I loved aesthetics from the 50s and 80s, and I decided to resurrect objects from those eras in a new way.

Years before I had been working on an animated film (which I abandoned after seven years of production) and its color scheme had been so pleasant to me: red-orange, tiffany blue, and leaf green. The balance of those colors felt so nice. When I was a teacher, we’d spend time each year talking about color theory and the best practices for color balance. I came up with the handful of combinations that I have now been using for nearly a decade and that still feel like the best color combinations.

FW: During our many months working together, I enjoyed hearing the stories behind your photo shoots. It’s fun to imagine you staging these quirky, surreal scenes in your studio near the Cal-Expo Costco! Do you have any anecdotes about the works on view at the Crocker that you can share?

RG: You’re right, most of the images are constructed sets, but one thing that viewers might not know is that two images were shot in my actual living room in West Sacramento, which is painted and decorated with my “color madness” aesthetic.

Raúl Gonzo (American, born 1979), Slanted Room I , 2023. Fujiflex print from 8 x 10 film, 24 x 20 in. Courtesy of the Artist.

Raúl Gonzo (American, born 1979), A Woman's Den , 2023. Fujiflex print from 8 x 10 film, 48 x 40 in. Courtesy of the Artist.

FW: Were there any surprises with the final exhibition?

RG: I was surprised by the fact that although we decided to change or modify arrangements from the original lay out, it still feels exactly right. Also, the shoes on the bench were a last-minute idea that I added, and it sort of surprised me how well it turned out. By the way, that was the third bench I put together!

FW: I was so curious what you were planning to do with those yellow toddler shoes that you brought to the Museum during the final days of install. I was shocked (and delighted!) when I came in and found the pink and yellow bench wearing the shoes. Another aspect that surprised me was how much the exhibition feels like a single work of art, rather than an assortment of 21 different photographs. It was gratifying to watch your process up close and see how you meticulously grouped the images to bring cohesion to the show.

FW: What do you hope viewers will take away from the show?

RG: I hope people will feel either encouraged to be creative themselves or at least have had a few laughs at some of the absurdity in my work.