Jeriel Geronimo
Multidisciplinary Visual Artist (Handbag Customiser)
Jeriel Geronimo is a multidisciplinary visual artist from the Dominican Republic, currently based in Barcelona, Spain. He channels his creative juices through various artistic mediums such as drawing, painting, photography, graphic design, digital illustration and utilises new technology such as Augmented Reality (AR). He has recently worked on an interesting project fusing his love of painting with fashion and AR. For this project Jeriel customised a few handbags by painting artworks on them and then adding AR features. This project interested us greatly as it wonderfully shows how AR can be utilised to give greater meaning, depth and artistic value to something, and is a technology that has still not been tapped into by fashion brands as much as it should have been.
We were eager to talk to him about his background, work, processes, and what influences him most. Here's what Jeriel had to say...
Solstice: Tell us about yourself. Where did you grow up? Were you artistic as a child?
Jeriel: I grew up in Santo Domingo, the colourful and vibrant capital of the Dominican Republic. Art has always been a fundamental form of self-expression for me since childhood. Drawing was my favourite activity as a child. I recall constantly sketching, painting murals in my room, and expressing myself through various art forms. Additionally, I enjoyed crafting mud vases and typical Dominican faceless dolls made out of clay. When I was around eleven years old, I made my first frame-by-frame animation. Art served as my sanctuary, and my family wholeheartedly supported and encouraged my artistic endeavors. At the age of fourteen, they enrolled me in IPOPSA. A public school in Santo Domingo, the only one that offered formal training in the arts at the time. Two years later, I graduated from high school with a bachelor’s degree in visual arts.
Solstice: You’re a multidisciplinary visual artist. Please could you tell us about your journey through different visual arts and which ones are your favourites?
Jeriel: My journey has been organic, with one discipline leading me to explore another. In my last year of art school, I studied graphic design and started working at an offset printing company after graduating. There, I learned more about design, colours, photomechanics, and 3D graphics. For college, I decided to study advertising with a focus on creative direction at APEC. I continued my formal training in some of my favourite disciplines, including drawing, painting, graphic design, digital illustration, animation, photography, and others. Photography and post-production particularly captivated me.
I started working as a photographer, both as a freelancer and at Vlok Studios. A video and photography studio specialized in events and advertising visuals for clients like Orange Dominicana. There I created photobook layouts for printing, digital illustrations, retouched, and shot images. They also taught me about video editing and filming. Fashion and advertising photography were the next steps in my journey. I studied fashion photography at Chavon, and after graduating from college, I moved to Barcelona. To continue my training in photography and post-production.
Now I am focusing on fine arts, my first love. I reconnected with painting and drawing at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Painting for the first time after more than ten years. And started exhibiting my work in 2022 with Misonny Art Festival, had my first solo show that same year at HAF, another one at Krucopia in 2023, and other collective shows this year 2024.
Solstice: What are the challenges of being a multidisciplinary visual artist? Does not specializing in any one type of visual art make it harder for you to get work?
Jeriel: Explaining to people what I do for work can be challenging sometimes. Also fighting the impostor’s syndrome and the "jack of all trades, master of none" misconception. Having experience with different disciplines has helped me specialize in photography and digital postproduction. I learned about composition rules, lighting, and colour theory thanks to the fine arts. And about editing software, thanks to graphic design.
In the artistic and creative fields, versatility is an asset, demanding a comprehensive understanding of various disciplines and production stages to secure work opportunities.
Solstice: Where do you get inspiration from and which artists/people/things have influenced you the most?
Jeriel: My primary source of inspiration is my cultural background, Afro-Taino heritage, magical-religious iconography, and Dominican mythology. I'm also inspired by nature, light, technology, and pop-culture. My LGBTQ+ community inspires me by demonstrating perseverance and resistance through unabashed self-expression. People who share their individuality.
My closest friends and family have had the most influence on me. Many of them are artists and creators. I respect and am inspired by artists who have created distinct universes. Fashion designers like Alexander Mcqueen and Daniel Roseberry, photographers like Paolo Roversi and Rafael Pavarotti, musicians like Sza and Lido Pimienta, filmmakers like Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve, classic artists like Leonardo Davinci and Leonora Carrington, and contemporary multidisciplinary artists like James Jean and Yermine Richardson.
Solstice: Please tell us about your project ‘ZEMI’?
Jeriel: Zemi represents my venture into fine arts. It depicts an ancestral evolution, an ode to my roots, that lives in between the astral, physical, and digital realms. Its nature is intimately connected to what I understand as religious iconography, fantasy, and folklore—developing and mixing different techniques to understand art. Creating multi-sensory universes thanks to acrylic painting, sculpture, fragrances, digital art, and customisations. Depicting the ancestral power of the Afro-Taino culture with a futuristic lens. In form, my work provides an immersion into my imagination, where the figurative is filled with light and shadow, materialising new worlds. A multisensory experience of monochromatic works that delve between cultural roots, the use of technology, and a spiritual vision of the future we can create.
Solstice: What is your favourite design from this project? Why?
Jeriel: My favourite work is usually the latest because I can see how much I've grown and learned from previous ones. I love all the designs of the handbags I have customized because they have special meanings, personal to each one of the collectors. The blue Hoff handbag has a special place in my heart. I painted a calm ocean with celestial bodies setting on the horizon. Looking at it brings me joy, and fills me with a sense of tranquillity and ease. This customization integrates intricate augmented reality elements, inviting viewers to explore 3D objects and animations synchronized with the sounds of gentle waves, siren songs, and ethereal melodies, encapsulating a multisensory experience.
Solstice: How did you get into using Augmented Reality (AR)? Was it a steep learning curve?
Jeriel: I got to know AR in the fine arts thanks to the work of Juliana Plexxo and the Artivive app. I was preparing to exhibit my work for the first time, and using augmented reality gave me the chance to showcase the animation I had already made of my paintings. I had some knowledge of virtual and augmented reality from college. And the Artivive app workspace has some of the same attributes as the 3D programs I work with. This made learning how A.R. works easier.
Solstice: Will you be continuing to use AR for more projects or was this a one-time time for this specific project?
Jeriel: Yes, I will! Augmented reality gives me the chance to merge some of my favourite disciplines into one piece. It's the perfect bridge between my physical and digital work.Augmented reality is an essential part of the multi-sensorial art that I make. Artwork that you can touch, smell, hear, and see moving through augmented reality. And I want to continue to experiment with A.R. in customisation and wearable art. I know this type of technology will only continue to grow and evolve. I love learning, and I can’t wait to see where we get to with virtual and augmented reality, and digital art in general.
Solstice: What is your opinion on A.I. generated imagery? Do you think it is a good or bad thing for artists and creatives?
Jeriel: Artificial intelligence, much like any other tool or medium, is neutral in essence; its impact depends on its application. Historically, creatives have had similar conversations with every new technology that permeates the artistic realm. From oil paint to cameras, to digital art and computer-generated images. New technology can help us grow beyond the limitations that conventional mediums might have. Ultimately, the most important component of the artistic process is the substance, the soul—that thing that makes you feel when you experience art. And for me, that has more to do with the way the artist perceives their reality than the tools they use to express it. We have moral and ethical responsibilities to uphold regarding the way we use technology like artificial intelligence.
Now I am focusing on fine arts, my first love. I reconnected with painting and drawing at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Painting for the first time after more than ten years. And started exhibiting my work in 2022 with Misonny Art Festival, had my first solo show that same year at HAF, another one at Krucopia in 2023, and other collective shows this year 2024.
Solstice: How do you see yourself growing and evolving as an artist? What are your main objectives for 5 years’ time?
Jeriel: In the coming years, I aspire to deepen my understanding of light, perception, and artistic creation while refining existing techniques and exploring new horizons. Five years from now, I will continue experimenting with diverse mediums and expanding my universe. My main objective is to continue progressing and showcasing art that I am proud of. Artwork that connects with my core, my essence, and that makes the people who experience it feel something. I want to continue sharing the sanctuary that art has been for me, which is my commitment to artistic progression and meaningful expression.