Mistaken Identity

Kat Goduco Puts Celebrity Worship In Context

By Edward M. Garnes, Jr.

Though we would rather keep our fixation in the closet, we all fawn over celebrities.  Gawking fervently as they grub at local eateries, trading rumors about their lives over café latte in the staff break room, and scrolling our daily blog rolls for new pics to feed our senseless obsession.  Kat Goduco (Poet, Photographer, Producer, and a host of other artsy fartsy names) offers a moment of reflection with Mistaken Identity, a showcase featuring the photographs of everyday folk ,who just happen to look like headline heavy stars like Tupac, Robin Thicke, and Tila Tequila.

Multi-media in framing, Mistaken Identity featured interpretive dance, poetry, and J Dilla esque hip hop bangers during the installation’s latest incarnation at ATL’s Adidas store.  A marvelous master of juxtaposing traditional art forms with pop culture references, Goduco’s brave impressions surpass the yawn inducing offerings of  high brow galleries haplessly slaves of tradition. In this exclusive with Ed Garnes, Goduco vents on art as catharsis and why Obama can not do it alone.

Mistaken Identity on the surface seems to feed our fixation with celebrity, but since you always flip culture with a purpose, discuss the goals of the showcase.

the goals of the showcase are to show people different perspectives on “shine.”  some of my models that are mistaken for celebrities do not enjoy the association, others love it.  i just want to provide a platform for further thought.

Artists often struggle to assert their own identity. Especially poets who see one episode of Def Poetry and think they can rock a mic. How do make it cool again to be a TRUE individual?

i feel that any form of expression is best conveyed if the outlet is from a true experience.  that is why all of my poems are non-fiction.  they are from true life experiences.

You are a true cultural guru (Poet, Photographer, Producer).  What inspires you to run in some many creative lanes? What talent would make you absolutely loose your damn mind if taken away?

i guess my inspiration is derived from negative actions.  what i mean is that i have seen many people in my life growing up, keeping their true emotions in. they did not have an outlet, or they did not try to release their emotions.  so everything is pent up.  i saw this, and i realized that it was unhealthy.  if i couldn’t write, i think i would lose my mind.

I believe in the revolutionary potential of art.  Should artists be on the forefront of social change or just leave the political battles up to President Obama?

i think that all people should be on the forefront of social change.  everyone has something to contribute and political battles should not only be left up to President Obama.

If only one piece ( a photo, poem, cultural production) could speak for you in the afterlife.  Which one would it be?

it would have to be my poem called “reflective prayer. “  its a poem about me talking to god;  and god talking back to me.

Award winning writer, educator, counselor, and activist Edward M. Garnes, Jr. is the founder of From Afros to Shelltoes: Art, Action, and Conversation, a nationally acclaimed series of cultural productions confronting the social divide between elders and hip hop heads. The 2009 Atlanta Tribune Man Of Distinction holds a B.A. in English Writing from DePauw University and a M.A. in Counseling from Michigan State University . His seminal essay, ” Sweet Tea Ethics: Black Luv, Healthcare, and Cultural Mistrust,” currently appears in Not In My Family: AIDS in the African American Community, a 2007 NAACP Image Award nominated collection edited by Gil Robertson. (www.afrostoshelltoes.com).

Related posts:

1. Kat Goduco Mistaken Identity 2
2. Robertson Family Affair Tackles Black Identity Self Love
3. Obama Drama: When Racial Identity Goes Wrong