John Brooks
Eldorado
December 16 to January 31, 2026
opening on December 16 from 6 to 9 pm
El Dorado—meaning “the Golden One”—originally referred to a ritual in which a chieftain was covered in gold dust as part of a ceremonial act. Over time, this practice transformed into the myth of a golden city, or even an entire land, inspiring Spanish conquistadors to undertake perilous and often violent expeditions in pursuit of unimaginable wealth.
Beyond its historical origins, El Dorado acquired a powerful metaphorical meaning. It came to signify a dreamland or paradise—a place of abundance, happiness, and fulfillment. The term is also used to describe a “Mecca,” an ideal or central location for a particular group, such as an Eldorado for birdwatchers on the island of Amrum. More broadly, it represents a passionately pursued yet often unattainable goal.
In cultural and linguistic contexts, El Dorado is associated with notions such as the Land of Plenty, Paradise, Dreamland, or the Land of Desire. It appears in expressions like “the land of milk and honey” or “the land of unlimited opportunities,” and in literature and film it frequently functions as a motif for greed, adventure, and unfulfilled longing—most notably in works such as Candide or the stories of Edgar Allan Poe. Today, the term is widely used to describe any ideal place or the perfect setting for a specific pursuit.
Approaching the work of John Brooks through Eldorado as a mindset is only one possible reading, yet it resonates strongly with the artist’s practice. Both universal and deeply personal, Brooks presents a constellation of idealized locations populated by various protagonists, including himself and his dog.
His work explores themes of queer identity, memory, death, and place, centering on contemplation, emotional expression, and the transformative power of lived experience—what Max Beckmann described as “the deepest feeling about the mystery of being.”
Informed by collage, Brooks’s paintings combine images drawn from art history, cinema, literature, music, pop culture, and his own life. Brimming with the richness of human experience, these tableaus feel at once familiar and entirely new, reflecting both the contemporary moment and what precedes it. Charged with longing, distant desire, empathy, and existential openness, the paintings affirm the importance of connection, engagement, and presence—contemporary at its most incisive.
Markus Rischgasser
flatmarkus, Zentralstrasse 76b, 8003 Zurich, Switzerland - flatmarkus.com