Los Cuidadores (The Caretakers), 2013

Jay Lynn Gomez (formerly Ramiro Gomez)

variable dimensions, hand-painted acrylic mural

West Hollywood Park (small dog park), 647 N. San Vicente Boulevard

Jay Lynn Gomez is recognized for addressing issues of immigration and making visible the "invisible" labor forces that keep the pools, homes, and gardens of Los Angeles in such pristine condition. She first gained notoriety for installing hand-painted, life-sized cardboard cutouts of nannies, gardeners, valet workers and housekeepers in and around West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and other Westside locations. "There is glamour and luxury in West Hollywood," says Gomez, "but there are people who are needed to maintain that luxury." It is in the intersection of glamour, luxury and labor that Gomez sees beauty.

The artist sees the City of West Hollywood as a diverse blend of people from many different ethnic and social backgrounds, connecting specifically with the many people who work in various domestic and service-oriented jobs in the city. Three of the figures in this mural are based on real-life nannies named Daisy, Elsa, and Lucy who Gomez met while working as a nanny. The fourth character in the composition is based on several gardeners.

In 2013, Gomez was named one of the 'Top 25 Young Artists to Watch' by Art Voices magazine. In 2014, Gomez had her solo gallery debut at the Charlie James Gallery in Los Angeles, and went on to show widely across North America. A monograph on her work by Lawrence Weschler (Abrams), titled "Domestic Scenes: The Art of Ramiro Gomez" was released in 2016. Her work was included in the Getty's Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA exhibitions (2017) - "Home - So Different, So Appealing" at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), and in a joint show called "In West Hollywood" at the West Hollywood Library with David Feldman.

Gomez has exhibited at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, Blanton Museum of Art: The University of Texas at Austin, Denver Art Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Torrance Art Museum, Cornell Fine Arts Museum, among many others. Selected collections include: LACMA, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, Museum of Latin American Art (MoLAA).

Jay Lynn Gomez was born in 1983 in San Bernardino, CA to undocumented Mexican immigrant parents who have since become US citizens. She briefly attended the California Institute for the Arts before leaving to take work for several years as a live-in nanny with a West Hollywood family, an experience that did much to inform her subsequent art practice.

A reception for the artist was held on Saturday, September 21, 2013 in West Hollywood Park.  

To report a damaged or vandalized artwork please contact arts@weho.org or 323-848-6400. For people who are deaf or hard of hearing, please call, TTY: (323) 848-6496. To learn more information about the City of West Hollywood and its arts programs visit www.weho.org/arts.