Luis Gutierrez
Luis in his studio.
Luis A. Gutierrez (b. 1990, Colombia) is a 2020 AIM fellow artist at The Bronx Museum for the Arts. In 2019, he exhibited “Entre Sombras, From Figuration to Abstraction” (solo) at GoggleWorks Center for the Arts. He has also exhibited work at the Coral Springs Museum of Art, private galleries, and Christie’s, New York. In 2016, Gutierrez was selected as a semi-finalist for the Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series. That same year Spectrum Miami Art Fair awarded him the “Launchpad Artist Award” and a site-specific installation. As an artist, Gutierrez was mentored by mix-media artist Alfred Razza; he also attended Broward College, where his works were part of many exhibitions. In 2015 Florida Atlantic University and Broward College chose him to create a mural in Fort Lauderdale as part of a public art project called “This is a Canvas.”
Can you tell us a bit about the process of making your work and what you are currently working on?
Currently, I'm working on Entre Sombras, a group of paintings in which I bring a hybrid of investigation and physical engagement through the use of different materials. My process consists of painting, sewing, and cutting. I begin each piece by painting with oil, charcoal, and oil pastel/stick on canvas, allowing the paint to flow with no defined goal. Then, I cut and assemble the painted studies along with textiles, hand embroidery, and images. The photographs printed on paper or fabrics come from physical and digital archives.
Luis A. Gutierrez
Una Historia en el Vacío, 2021.
Oil paint, oil pastel, Inkjet printed image on paper, thread and canvas.
34 x 23 inches (86.36 x 58.42 cm).
Your work is so heavily layered; how do you go about the process of
building your work up? When do you feel as though a work is finished?
Throughout my process in the studio, every painting is continuously changing as layers of materials are added or subtracted. I tend to make decisions randomly, letting different color palettes and textures come together to blend naturally. I experiment with different ways of collaging these elements until I see something that is visually working. That's when I start to sew the layers together; but, Sometimes I keep making changes even after everything has been put together.
Luis’s studio.
What are some references you draw upon in your work? Are there any themes in particular that you like to focus on when creating?
When conducting research, I focus on social injustices like the abuse inflicted on workers through an imperialist system concentrating on events that have impacted our current social and political situation in Latin America. When painting my abstract studies, I am inspired by the signs of decay of exterior walls; there is something very interesting about the change of their color due to time and weather. I think that connects to my obsession with history; no matter how much we try to erase our past, somehow, it will always remain present.
Where are some of your favorite spaces that support contemporary art or design? Now that the art has an online presence has that changed?
One of the museums I enjoy the most because of their diverse curatorial practices is the New Museum. I recommend their current show, Grief and Grievance, curated by the late curator Okwui Enwezor.
Do you have any shows coming up? Anything else you would like to share?
I recently finished the AIM fellowship program at the Bronx Museum, and I will take part in a group show with my fellow artist. Due to COVID, we don't have a date yet, but I am looking forward to it. Meanwhile, I will continue to work in my studio.
Luis Gutierrez’s work is included in our show “The Alternative States,” May 3 - June 30, 2021. Visit his website and Instagram (@luis__gutierrez_) to see more of his work.