Gonzalo Guzmán (Madrid, 1991) educated as an industrial designer and has been working in sculpture since the time of the pandemic, when he began to have lucid dreams, an experience that can affect up to 50% of the population at least once in their lives. In them, the subject is aware that he is living a dream and from that point he takes control of his development.

Collision is his first solo exhibition at Galeria SENDA, as part of the Art Nou festival, Barcelona’s emerging art festival, which aims to promote the talent of young artists and, among other things, give them the opportunity to exhibit, as in this case, for the first time in a gallery.

Lucid dreams have marked Gonzalo Guzmán, and as a result of experiencing them, he decided to radically change his life and dedicate himself fully to sculpture in order to capture his dreams. His artistic production is made up of metallic pieces of stainless steel that refer to megalithic monuments such as dolmens, which often appear in his dream world. The creation of sculptures is a form of research to translate these figures into reality. The fact of materialising them enables Guzmán to interact with them on the real plane, and at the same time other people can do so. In addition, the material embodiment of these works raises awareness of how dreams can transform our surroundings.

The centrepiece of the exhibition is Collision, a structure that has also been the protagonist of his dreams. This installation is composed of the representation of a three-metre stainless steel stalactite suspended from the ceiling of the gallery on a reflective surface. The reflection of the stalactite on the area generates the illusion that there is also a stalagmite and, therefore, they are two structures that are about to touch. The strength of the composition lies in the closeness of an impossible collision; in the tension of volumes about to collide.

When looking at the installation, the spectator may question whether he is really looking at a six-metre structure or a three-metre structure reflected on a surface. However, neither of the two options is wrong. Likewise, the perception of time is also altered through the presence in the exhibition of an inoperative clock, since when we dream the notion of time fades away. The public will also be able to contemplate other sculptures by the artist present in his dreams that allude to megalithic structures.

The questions suggested by the observation of Collision lead us to reflect on the blurred boundaries between what is and what is not real. This same situation happens in lucid dreams where the unknown remains as to what is part of them, and consequently, the apprehension of reality and our belief system may collide.

The structure is suspended from a false tensioned ceiling illuminated with LED lights, which has been implemented by Barrisol and the company Instalación de Materiales Acústicos y Decorativos (IMAD).

Abaut the artist GONZALO_GUZMAN_SENDA_mayo2023

www.barrisol.com / www.imadsa.es