The Shadow:
Nicolás Guzmán

August 4, 2022 - September 23, 2022

Maximilian Contemporary presents The Shadow - a solo exhibition for contemporary artist Nicolás Guzmán. The exhibition will be Guzmán’s inaugural solo show at Maximilian Contemporary and our first show as a gallery in San Francisco.

Opening reception: Saturday, August 6, 2022 | 4:00pm - 7:00pm

The Shadow

In its historical evolution, the shadow appears increasingly distant from its function linked to visual perception (and the illusion of volume in two dimensions), and has moved closer to the symbolic universe that the shadow is capable of building with its presence.

For much of Western art history, beauty's most powerful ally has been light, stereotyped as the antagonist of darkness, which is perceived as sordid and sinister.

On the other hand, in the East, the shadow stars in art; its’ magic, intensity and beauty lies in the juxtaposition of different substances that generate shadow modulations.

The intention of this project is to study the shadow as a pictorial phenomenon that allows us to have different results, where we can ‘culturally invert’ what has been imposed on us as reality to learn about others, and the realities that different communities experience.

This body of work is meant to link these traditional ideas with a contemporary way of painting, exploring the cultural and visual aspects of the shadow.