José Nicolás Guzmán challenges us to reconsider the materiality, composition, and act of seeing when it comes to art. Born in Xalapa, within Mexico’s state of Veracruz, Guzmán recognized his affinity for the arts at a young age. Raised in an immersive cultural environment, he began creating art and music. In his teen years, he studied under renowned Swedish professor Per Anderson, learning the fundamental techniques of drawing. Determined to pursue and expand his talents, he earned a Bachelor of Arts from the Universidad Veracruzana in Veracruz as part of their Plastic Arts program in 2006.
He emerged with a painting practice that built upon the foundations of figurative art and traveled to Oaxaca, where he leveraged his abilities to stand against the injustices of governmental forces in the Oaxacan rebellions and protests of 2006. Learning from fellow painters and inspired by the air of rebellion, he continued to expand his approach. He traveled to the United States, where he was introduced to the freeing spirit of the Abstract Expressionists. He began combining new mediums into installations and artworks with a more conceptual focus and even shared his knowledge and the impactful nature of fusing different mediums and techniques as a teacher. Today, his work delves deep into the perception of art, investigating how its elemental qualities interact with one another. While creating in sculpture, video, performance, photography, and printmaking, his practice is still deeply rooted in his paintings.
Guzmán’s work has been showcased around the globe with solo and group exhibitions at esteemed institutions such as the Rufino Tamayo Museum of Pre-Hispanic Art, Oaxaca, Mexico City Museum, CDMX, Chao Galpao Gallery, Sao Luis, Brazil, Spike Print Studio, Bristol, England, Galería Nueva, Madrid, Spain, and Tokyo University of Arts and Music, Japan, among others. In addition to these exhibitions, his experimental practice has seen his work featured in prominent international art festivals and fairs, such as ZONA MACO in Mexico City and MULTIPLIED with Christie's in London, and has allowed him to participate in residencies, including programs at Phnom Penh University of Fine Arts in Cambodia and Clear Lake University in the United States.