Eyes
Two way windows
From either side a view
Look out look in
Through a frame worlds merge
Yours and mine
Theirs and ours
Gazing from the sill

Ventana is the Spanish word for 'window', and in this exhibition, Guzman presents new jewellery and textile works that explore the idea of a window as a framing device. Forms, colours and materials, subtly detailed and boldly graphic, generate visual cues that amplify our sense of something happening beyond the frame - these works are stills from a bigger picture. Simple narratives are suggested in the prose of the artist's titles, which are always an integral part of Guzman's practice. Part visual artist, part poet, Guzman's works are particular combinations of word and material that can both transport us and focus our attention.

Best known for his brightly coloured jewellery work in perspex and plastics, the often minimalist and abstract compositions in Guzman's jewellery are here reworked into 'soft paintings'. Guzman consciously draws on the inheritance of artists such as Anni and Josef Albers, taking the relationship of colour and shape as his starting point for an exploration in new materials. Trivial circumstances, moments of pleasure, small dilemmas or plights; minor narratives that can go unremarked in the day to day are opportunities for Guzman to reflect and create compositions in response. Guzman is drawn to the challenge of finding a way to distill the daily emotional and social matter of our lives to visual form: a set of colours, shapes and a lyrical title. His is a spare and simple alchemy.

VENTANA catalogue