Since he entered the Cuban panorama of visual arts in the late eighties, Carlos Guzmán (Havana 1970) has gone through various paths. His constant quests and restless spirit, have taken him to be a drawer, painter, sculptor, instructor of art, drawing professor and publications illustrator.
Due to his accomplishments and increasing international recognition in the last years, he was selected to represent the American continent for UNESCO` National Commission of Andorra in the IV edition of Art Camp event “Colors for the planet”, that will take place next year between the 14 and the 24 of July ,in Ondino, Andorra.
Art Camp is an international forum where the plastic artists of the five continents meet and interact sharing their culture and where they will present their own cultures through their artistic creations. Cuba will be represented for first time in this proximate edition with the recognized creator to whom they have endorsed the labels of post-medieval artist.
The objective of this event is the creation of a fund of original works that show the creative and artistic work based on UNESCO´ values like the protection of the environment, promotion of peace and of the diversity of cultural expressions. The participating works in three last editions have been exposed with great success in different places of Europe with the public’s formidable reception and criticism.
Through his pieces, Guzmán reflects the apocryphal and magical things that he is able to draw from reality. They reveal his fascination for the human effigy and his unyielding quest of legendary beings and dream artifacts next to his arcane characters, almost exclusive of what is oneiric. One of the recurrent subject matters in the creator’s work is the inevitable man – machine symbiosis, which guarantees the majority of his samples.
Graduated in 1989 in San Alejandro’s Academy, he has participated in almost a hundred collective and personal expositions, in and out of Cuba. His creations are included in important private and institutional collections at different countries.
“I feel very honored and happy to be able to represent my country in this lovely, praiseworthy and interesting event in which I aspire pronounce held up our culture. It is an immense pride to be able to carry my creations to a country that knows little of the Cuban genuine moral values of culture and that for me is of great importance that she be acknowledged and admired”, Guzmán declared to OnCuba, who finds himself in the preparation of the works that will accompany him in this new artistic adventure.
Guzmán, who defines his work of magical Surrealism recognizes himself as debtor of the essential figures in the development of the national and international plastic like Acosta Leon and the British Leonora Carrington and among his biggest longings is to make big paint murals and gigantic installations. He considers himself better drawer than painter although he does not establish a frontier to express oneself among the dissimilar techniques of plastic arts. He assumes that his work is not very Cuban as to the subject matters and style, but it gives him away as Caribbean the use of light in his compositions.
I discovered this artist on my recent trip to Cuba and fell in love with the emotion and spirit of his work.