Born in 1971 to Cuban immigrants and raised outside Atlanta, Georgia, Goicolea grew up with a feeling of displacement, as if he did not fully belong. This sense of in-betweenness permeates his art, which often explores undefined places and moments. His figures appear in unexpected, dreamlike scenes: drifting through murky waters, gathering around eerie campfires, or lingering in domestic settings that feel both familiar and alien.
His work mixes isolation with irony and darkness with humor. Ambiguity is a constant: in Undertow: a figure floats at sea in what could be a peaceful sunset moment, a restful experience on the water, or he could be lost, like a refugee, adrift. There is just enough information to spark ideas, but not enough to anchor a clear narrative. The viewer must decide.