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THE P.O.P.
Issue 009: Mokibaby
The P.O.P. (Portraits of POPLIFE) documents inspiring individuals who push artistic boundaries and strive for excellence in order to advance the communities around them. Uniting a wide range of talented creatives from diverse backgrounds, this editorial series invites them to share their passions and the impact they've had on
the realms of hospitality, music, fashion, art, and design.
Veronica Gessa (aka Mokibaby) has mastered the art of connecting people to global brands through one-of-a-kind immersive experiences, from Miami, to New York, Los Angeles, and anywhere else her talents take her. For our newest issue, POPLIFE caught up with the tri-coastal, creative powerhouse at her latest project in Los Angeles where she decorated the legendary Simon Fuller's Academy of Pop XIX Penthouse.
Read below to hear about her artistic journey and how it all really started "with a pile of TVs”.
Photography by XAVIERLUGGAGE
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do.
¡HOLA! I’m a Miami-born, first-generation, Cuban-American artist and production designer.
I go by my nickname, Mokibaby, given to me by my sister when my parents brought me home from the hospital. I began my creative career on the stage, graduating from New World School of the Arts. While producing III Points Festival in year 2, I pursued a new medium of expression, creating multimedia installations showcasing digital works through analog televisions. This quickly led to a demand for more impactful experiences, and I dove
into presenting works synthesizing emotional and physical connections with media.
In 2017, I expanded into production design, specialized visual merchandising, and lot
of experiential marketing. Since then, my designs have connected people to global brands spanning across music, fashion, film, art, and hospitality. I’ve had the opportunity to design for some really cool clients like Canon, Instagram, MTV, Maison Margiela, Bad Bunny, XIX, Surface Magazine,
e.l.f. Beauty, and Polygon.
My favorite projects will always be III Points and premiering MOKIWORLD last year.
I like to bring a unique vision to every project I undertake while still finding ways to
keep things fresh. For example, evolving experiential art into social responsibility when
I introduced donation QR codes onto my screens to create a direct way of supporting causes like the Coral Restoration Foundation.
I’m also currently a partner at the Los Angeles-based production collective,
Media Pollution, and have spent the last 5 years as the production designer at
Rhonda INTL, designing and producing over 200 events worldwide. It’s kind of wild
that everything really started with a pile of TVs at III Points in 2014.
How did you get your start in this industry?
Back in the day, I was a writer and producer for an online magazine called Wasabi Fashion Kult, which really made
me fall in love with writing and creating. After III Points 2013, I was hired by Supermarket Creative Agency where
I ideated activations for brands like Red Bull, Citi Bike and Heineken. I really cut my teeth there and learned all of
the ins and outs of working with brands from a marketing standpoint and found my calling in creating experiences.
So, between Supermarket, III Points, and becoming the production designer for A Club Called Rhonda, it was all a snowball effect that created this winter wonderland that is my life.
Who is Mokibaby?
Are Veronica and Mokibaby
one and the same, or different?
Well, Moki is what my sister named me when I came home from the hospital. She only spoke Spanish as a child and couldn't say Veronica (in Spanish) so she would say Mokita, and soon all of my close friends also began calling me Moki. It makes me so happy because it started as a term of endearment and makes me feel loved.
My affinity for TVs also began when I was a baby. I have been obsessed with movies since I could remember, so
I feel like everything I have created comes from that time in my life watching TV and being in my most pure and creative state of being. That’s why my logo is a photo of me when I was 3 years old. I like to create in the mindset of my fearless inner child who thinks that anything is possible. Mokibaby and Veronica are one and the same;
it’s not really a persona… it's just me!
How would you describe your craft/art?
What led you to choose this specific medium to create?
I am an experiential expert and production designer by trade, and when people ask me, my specialty is in vintage analog television installations. Honestly though, I’m just
a creative idea factory. Any project that falls in my lap I know I can execute
in a cool and impactful way. Lately I’ve been doing everything from interior
design to brand identity and digital branding. I’m a Jane of all trades, baby.
What was the turning point that made you want to
turn your passion into a business/company?
I was the director of marketing for III Points in 2016… you know the year of ZIKA and that Hurricane that was the size of Florida? During that process I realized I was more passionate about the installations I had that year rather than selling tickets and learning about digital marketing and algorithms and ads…. Yeah no. Not for me. At the end of that III Points
I promised myself I would just put everything into being Mokibaby full time, being my
own boss, and just doing what I love to do everyday.
Where do you draw inspiration from
for all of your projects?
My number one inspiration is films.
I feel like I have 6 movies playing in my head at all times. COVID was incredible for me because I was like wait…. I get to stay home and watch movies all day and night? For months?
I was in heaven, honestly. I’m also heavily inspired by music, interior design, fashion, traveling,
and dreaming.
Some names would be: Miami, Audrey Hepburn, Nam June Paik, Gregg Araki, Divine, Grace Jones, Dario Argento, Sofia Coppola, Verner Panton, Catherine Martin, Hype Williams, Kenneth Anger, John Waters, Jonas Åkerlund, Jonas Mekas, Siouxsie Sioux, Westwood, David LaChapelle, Marshall McLuhan, Luc Besson, Studio 54, and of course, Home Alone 2. The list goes on and on.
Inspiration also comes from everyday life and memories. The MOKIWORLD limo was inspired by my father picking me up in stretch white limos when I was a little girl. We would always get them for special occasions or sometimes just because. White limos hold a special place in my heart and I wanted to bring that into my world.
What has been your favorite (or one of your favorite) projects to work on thus far?
OOOF…. Mokiworld and my current III Points bus. The Bungalow I designed for
Polygon x Surface Magazine at the W last year for Art Basel was everything! My TV
pyramid for Rolling Loud 2019. Anything I create for e.l.f. Beauty. My current conversation
pit at Space. And of course my design of the Academy of Pop at the XIX Penthouse in LA.
What is a significant
memory you have with POPLIFE?
Has it played
a role in your development
as a creative?
I discovered POPLIFE when I was 14 going to the I/O lounge. It was my favorite party of my youth and early twenties. I even worked the door a few times! I fell in LOVE with nightlife on the POPLIFE dance floor; it changed me forever. I would attend the parties religiously. Favorite moments: walking into the party one night where my boyfriend and I’s photo was illustrated, and ended up becoming the new logo for the party. That was like everything to me at the time because I loved that party so much. The POPLIFE 20th anniversary party was the best reunion I had ever gone to.
It felt more significant than my high school reunion. When Last Night by The Strokes started playing and the whole building went absolutely nuts… that was it for me.
Extended stays at The Standard in Miami; that is my sanctuary.
I go there and vibe out for a week, but I still manage to get work done (I am typing this poolside there right now, actually).
How do you find
a balance between
work and personal life?
I want to create interesting and beautiful spaces for everyone that spark joy, inspire, and give people a sense of escape. My messaging is pretty simple: imagine where you want to go and who you want to be and I’ll take you there.