VC PROJECTS

Shane Guffogg's Upcoming Exhibition: "The Future as Past is Present"
Opening October 24th at Gallery Chang, New York City
Insights on the thoughtful curation by gallerists Junhwan and Ara Chang

written by victoria chapman

A few weeks ago, gallerists Junhwan and Ara Chang from Gallery Chang made a special trip from New York to Shane Guffogg’s studios in Los Angeles and Central California to immerse themselves in his creative process and experience the artwork firsthand. Their visit was filled with inspiration, offering both New York and Korean art dealers a deep insight into Shane’s artistic journey. During their time in the studios, Junhwan and Ara were particularly captivated by Shane’s earlier works, including his self-portraits and the Dancer series. Their enthusiasm for these pieces sparked a broader vision for the upcoming exhibitions, leading them to include works that trace Shane’s artistic evolution. Among the featured pieces are those Shane created in his late teens, allowing viewers to witness the development of his distinctive use of line and color—elements central to his work from the very start. This natural progression was always present and has now matured into the style we know today.

Shane Guffogg's exhibition offers an intriguing collection that spans his early and more recent work. The exhibition opens with a self-portrait from 1982, incorporating elements of cubism and expressionism. Gestural brushstrokes and crescent moon shapes evoke the Fauvist movement. This is followed by two small ink-on-paper self-portraits exploring cubism through the lens of quantum physics, with swirling lines that deconstruct the artist's face. Two larger self-portraits, created in 1983 with pencil and acrylic on paper, provide a window into Guffogg’s formative years. These early pieces are particularly compelling as they reveal his ongoing exploration of line, space, and light. Even in his late teens, Guffogg’s ethereal quality and search for identity within a universal context were beginning to emerge—qualities that would later define his career as a contemporary artist, especially within post-painterly abstraction.

In the Dancer series (1–4), Guffogg uses gestural lines and vibrant color to capture both movement and emotion, embodying the rhythm and flow of sound. His journey into dance began during a junior college class where he sketched dancers in motion, capturing not only the human form but also how it interacted with the space around it. This exploration continued into his years at CalArts, where modern dance—particularly influenced by choreographers like Twyla Tharp—played a significant role in shaping his perception of movement and form. Alongside these influences, his exposure to Gamelan orchestras and musicians like Ravi Shankar and Steve Reich further informed his approach to the interplay of color, sound, and form.

Guffogg’s synesthesia—his ability to see and hear color—enabled him to explore cosmology and spirituality in ways that blended ancient cultures with contemporary ideas, shaping his work into something deeply profound. He has often described his pieces as autobiographical imprints, physical manifestations of the energy and forces that shape him as an artist.

When asked whether he considers himself a realist painter, Guffogg reflects, “I began as a realist painter because the world I saw around me was all I knew. I hadn’t yet discovered the unseen world that we sense and intuit—the life force swirling in the air, the conversations trees have as they sway in the wind, or how flocks of birds fly as one.” These insights continue to influence his evolving body of work.

The exhibition also highlights Guffogg’s transition from realism to abstraction. By the late 1980s, he began contemplating what thoughts looked like before they were expressed through language. This led him to experiment with chance, tossing ribbons and documenting the shapes they formed. This spontaneity provided him with a new direction, allowing him to explore his inner world and develop his current style, which he describes as "wordless poems."

One standout piece, At the Still Point of the Turning World – Many Voices and Many Gods, delves into the relationship between sound and color through a ritualistic process. The dark blue tones, contrasted with lighter hues, evoke a spiritual dance across the canvas. During its creation, Guffogg imagined voices of deities from various cultures—Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Sumerian, and others—guiding him, their voices influencing the painting’s shifting colors and lines. Viewing the piece, one may experience a symphony of melodies echoing through the brushstrokes.

The exhibition culminates in At the Still Point of the Turning World – Late Roses in Early Snow, a piece that captures the essence of hope and renewal in times of global transformation. The work balances order and chaos, material and ethereal, symbolizing the idea that death gives way to rebirth. Snow represents fragility and calm, while roses evoke awakening and transformation.

In addition to these significant works, Guffogg presents pieces from his Rose is a Rose is a Rose series and new works from his Counting of Days series, where he paints the days of his life from birth to the completion of each piece. These paintings, with their intricate, leaf-like shapes forming mandalas, invite viewers to reflect on time, existence, and the transient nature of life.

Throughout his career, from the Rose series to his recent Venice exhibition At the Still Point of the Turning World – Strangers of Time, Guffogg has maintained a dialogue with past masters such as Da Vinci, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Monet, and Kandinsky. His works weave themes of purity, communion, and unseen forces, blending past and present to create a timeless conversation through his art.

The exhibition at Gallery Chang in New York offers a rich tapestry of Shane Guffogg's artistic journey, from realism to abstraction, early explorations to his most recent reflections on time and existence. The Future as Past is Present is a must-see, as Guffogg’s work continues to resonate across time, offering a timeless dialogue through his art.
– Victoria Chapman

Shane Guffogg: The Future as Past is Present

On display from October 24 – December 14, 2024

Gallery Chang, 150 W. 55th Street, New York, NY 10019

Artist Reception: October 24, 2024, 6pm – 8pm

(https://www.artgallerychang.com)

an introduction to the exhibition in new york city

Shane Guffogg: The Future as Past is Present

introduction

WRITTEN by victoria chapman

It’s always fascinating how Shane Guffogg approaches his work. His titles, like The Future, as Past is Present, draw you into his world. They aren’t just clever phrases; they represent Shane’s reflections on time, space, and the essence of existence. His fascination with time is unmistakable, a theme that has guided his artistic practice for over three decades. Much of his thinking has been shaped by T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets, an exploration of time and transformation that Eliot began writing on the cusp of World War II.

Shane’s work has always carried a certain weight—a documentation of his life and his presence on this earth. His upcoming solo exhibition at Gallery Chang will showcase this perfectly.

The Counting of Days series in this exhibition beautifully embodies this concept. While the pieces visually resemble flowers, they profoundly reflect Guffogg’s lived experiences. Each brushstroke marks the passage of time, much like the counting of prayer beads, capturing sensory moments from his birth to the day the painting was completed—an actual count documented at the bottom of each painting.

These works are a personal narrative and a universal meditation on the passage of time. The softness and freedom conveyed in these paintings evoke the transient nature of existence—appearing and fading much like passing thoughts. Each piece is centered around a singular color palette, offering a meditative quality that invites viewers to contemplate the fleeting moments of their own lives.

Guffogg's approach to painting is almost alchemical. Through each stroke, he transforms raw materials into something profound—an enduring expression of thought, memory, and emotion that transcends the limitations of time.

In the series A Rose is a Rose is a Rose, inspired by Gertrude Stein’s poem Sacred Emily and Guffogg's connection to his garden, the work challenges traditional ideas of fixed identity and meaning. Rather than offering literal depictions of roses, Guffogg's paintings embody abstract experiences that explore the fluidity of identity. His characteristic use of sweeping ribbons, flashes of color, and veils of light creates an ethereal, dreamlike space where viewers are drawn into the divine and the miraculous. This series becomes a visual journey through unseen forces, reflecting the ever-changing and fluid nature of perception and self.

Guffogg’s mastery of intertwining time and identity reaches its pinnacle in his At the Still Point of the Turning World series, a title drawn from T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets. These works transcend time and space, functioning as visual poetry that seeks to capture the infinite. There are energetic forces in these paintings. When asked how the artist creates this sense of movement and gravity, guiding the viewer into the painting, he said; “It’s hard to explain how I know. There isn’t a thought or thoughts, or my inner voice speaking to me. It is a feeling that goes beyond where words go and I know a painting is done when I can sense it the painting is breathing on its own and will continue to do so after it leaves the studio.”

It's no wonder David Ash, a renowned quantum physicist, was captivated by Guffogg’s art at his May 2024 Paris exhibition. After experiencing the works, Ash observed, “You’re painting what I’m writing about. This is a form of quantum physics,” seamlessly connecting Guffogg’s artistic expressions with the intricate theories of space, time, and existence.

The convergence of Eliot’s philosophical poetry, quantum theory, and Guffogg’s personal experiences creates a profound resonance in his art. One particularly striking example is his Late Roses in Early Snow, a painting that connects deeply with the intellectual and artistic energy of the delicate beauty of Monet and the dynamic gestures of Pollock, Guffogg’s work coexists with the rhythms of nature while also engaging with contemporary perspectives. Much like Eliot’s blending of Western and Eastern philosophies, Guffogg captures a unique synergy of influences from both traditions. The soft pastels in this painting, reminiscent of New York’s winter landscapes, evoke a harmonious dialogue between the city's constant reinvention and the timeless quality of Guffogg’s artistic vision.

Through his work, Guffogg continues to push the boundaries of painting as a medium for exploring reality's deeper mysteries. His upcoming exhibition at Gallery Chang promises to be a powerful continuation of his exploration of the intricate connections between time, identity, and existence. For viewers, it’s an invitation to pause, reflect, and engage with the profound questions that define our very being.   – Victoria Chapman, los angeles, September 20, 2024

VISIT SHANE GUFFOGG’S exhibition “THE FUTURE AS PAST AS PRESENT” at Gallery chang, 150 west 55the street, new york, ny (https://www.artgallerychang.com)

opening reception, October 24th, 2024 -