“Summer Solstice on Western Avenue”

exhibition dates: June 25 - JUly 25, 2024

El Nido and The Blue Room, 1028 N. Western Avenue, Los Angeles, 90029

By appointment: contact: victoria@vcprojects.art

 An Exhibition Exploring Light, Time, and the Human Experience

Summer, for me, is a season of introspection and enjoying warmer weather, which naturally slows down both mind and body, prompting contemplation on life’s deeper meaning. It’s a time for indulging in great music, immersing in inspiring novels, reflecting on artworks and their significance, and appreciating how they expand our understanding of the world.

The summer solstice, occurring during the hemisphere's summer, holds cultural significance marked by festivals and rituals since ancient times. In the Northern Hemisphere, it falls on either June 20 or 21.

To celebrate this pivotal moment, Western Avenue is hosting an exhibition featuring works by post-post-modernist painter Shane Guffogg. Guffogg's art captures the essence of the summer solstice, exploring themes of light, time, and the cyclical rhythms of life. His intricate layers and vibrant colors offer a contemporary interpretation of the world, resonating beautifully with the spirit of this celestial event.

Shane Guffogg’s paintings evoke movement and energy, akin to the shifting positions of the Earth and Sun. His use of light and shadow mirrors the play of sunlight, reflecting both atmospheric change and a psychological perspective. Meaning not just light in the world but in a philosophical sense of the evolution of humanity. Guffogg's work encourages viewers to contemplate the intersection of natural phenomena and human experience, making his exhibition a fitting tribute to a time when the atmosphere reveals more light.

By showcasing Shane Guffogg’s paintings, Western Avenue offers a space for communal celebration and introspection. His exhibition is a highlight of the cultural calendar, presenting a profound exploration of light, time, and the human experience.

The display features Guffogg's series "When I Consider How My Light is Spent," inspired by John Milton's poem of the same name. Milton's contemplation of life and purpose during his onset of blindness resonated deeply with Guffogg, not because of his vision but due to the heartfelt nature of the poem. It prompted the artist to reflect on his own life’s purpose and creative process. These paintings offer a significant exploration of how time is spent when faced with its potential loss. The exhibition will showcase five works from this series.

When asked about his purpose in art and his definition of truth, Guffogg said: “Truth is so subjective, but I think it's necessary to have an idea of what it might be. We all have our personal definitions of truth, and truly creative people tap into it. That ‘It’ is what sets apart those who illustrate ideas and call it art, versus those who tap into their own truth and make Art with a capital A. Artists have an important role: to distill the ‘Now’ and transcend the cause and effect, creating a metaphorical flashlight so we can see where we are stepping.”

Krishna turned back, looked at him, smiled and said, “Darkness does not come to light, light has to go to darkness to illuminate the path.”

“Through constant effort over many lifetimes, a person becomes purified of all selfish desires and attains the supreme goal of life.” – Krishna (The Bhagavad Gita)

Other notable works on display include "At the Still Point of the Turning World – Words Move, Music Moves" and "At the Still Point of the Turning World - The Conscious Occupation of a Praying Mind," both recently returned from the Forest Lawn Museum’s 2023-2024’s group exhibition “Shaping Gravity: Abstract Art Beyond the Picture Plane.” These large paintings, at 78 x 108 inches, invite viewers to immerse themselves in their luminous worlds, with vibrant colors and dynamic lines.

When viewing each work, it's important to understand that they are part of a larger collaboration. Recently, these expansive paintings have not only been meant to be seen but also heard, thanks to a collaboration involving composer and pianist Anthony Cardella, alongside AI developer Jonah Lynch. This partnership has brought an innovative dimension to the works. Lynch’s AI program analyzed Guffogg's harmonic scale and synesthesia, generating musical suggestions that Cardella then transformed into compositions influenced by contemporary classical music, Indian ragas, Gregorian chants, and minimalist composers such as Philip Glass, Arvo Pärt, Ravi Shankar, and Steve Reich. The debut of these auditory interpretations took place last month at Forest Lawn Museum and at Scala Contarini del Bovolo Museum in Venice, Italy. For their display at El Nido, the paintings will be purely visual, inviting viewers to imagine what auditory counterparts they might evoke.

Guffogg’s paintings, each measuring 78 x 108 inches, dominate the room, allowing viewers to spend significant time with these luminous works. the paintings often catch viewers off guard. The lines, with their incredible color and energetic movement, tend to engulf viewers, drawing them into an encompassing world.

Another notable piece is "Sapere Aude #12," a vertical painting in blue and flesh-colored tones that explores human experience through conceptual abstraction. Guffogg has always described his paintings as abstract moments derived from reality. He created fourteen paintings in this series, all uniform in size and predominantly sharing the same color palette. Initially, the first four featured tan and brown tones resembling the human body, while later in 2019, Guffogg shifted to blue and pinkish tones, aligning with his concept of transforming realism into abstraction.

When viewing these works, viewers often find their minds filling in the gaps, as the paintings subtly communicate their themes. The title "Sapere Aude," meaning "dare to know," reflects Guffogg’s quest for truth amidst contemporary challenges of misinformation. It underscores the courage to rely on one’s own reason, making these paintings a personal and somewhat autobiographical journey for the artist.

Sapere Aude is a term relative to the Age of Enlightenment, as far as my research has found Horst (20 BC) “The Book of Letters” to  Immanuel Kant’s “Answering the Question What is Enlightenment” (1784) onward to Michel Foucault’s “What is Enlightenment” (1984)

“Enlightenment, as we see, must not be conceived simply as a general process affecting all humanity; it must not be conceived only as an obligation prescribed to individuals: it now appears to be a political problem …” - Michel Foucault

Guffogg did not go as far to read any of these texts to set out to make his series. Rather he was disenchanted with the information age question what is real, with the advent of fake news He set out in discovering truth and the ‘dare to know’ quest ‘have courage to use your own reason.’

The larger Still Point paintings are complemented by smaller ones from 2010, which reflect Guffogg’s early exploration of line and his search for his core. These blue-gray treasures adorned with white lines showcase his tenacity and lifelong journey of self-discovery, influenced by T.S. Eliot and the “Four Quartets.” Guffogg commenced creating these paintings over a hundred to date from 2009 onward. They are not intended as illustrations of Eliot’s poetry but rather serve as skeletal evidence of an artist composing his own autobiographical, wordless poems.

“These paintings encompasses the artist's search of lightness amidst the ongoing experience of life itself, with one's shadows always looming in times of chaos. It is a journey in search of inner stillness and self-liberation.”

Also, on display is "Crossing #143," an early ink work on archival fine art paper dating back to around 2001. Part of the Crossing series, known for its dynamic and rich colors, these artworks symbolize Guffogg’s journey from conscious to subconscious thought, as he seeks truth and explores existence. They originate from a place of release and transition into new territories. Each piece in this series—totaling over one hundred fifty—is unique and deeply personal.

Guffogg manipulates light and color through ink on archival paper with deliberate intent. He begins by setting up his worktable after circling his studio, vocalizing everything on his mind. Upon completion, he turns to his worktable to transition into a state beyond consciousness. The result is a captivating exploration of faith and the artistic process.

“On the average man only, the impressions caused by very familiar objects, will be purely superficial. A first encounter with any new phenomenon exercises immediately an impression on the soul...” – Wassily Kandinsky, “Concerning the Spiritual in Art” (1912)

“Crossings #143” features tones of pink, red, and rust, with corresponding lines of black and purple. It has points of bleeding and tensions of fire. These works represent a kind of surrender and were created around 2001 when Guffogg was working in his studio in downtown Los Angeles. The process began with driving across town to the artist’s studio in Skid Row, battling traffic and inner turmoil. Once inside the studio, Guffogg would walk around the room and voice whatever came to his mind aloud. This releasing process continued until all thoughts were expelled.

This method allowed him to transition from conscious thought to subconscious thought, enabling him to enter a realm of truth and being, moving beyond the fight-or-flight mode of existence. The result of this process was hundreds of beautifully harmonized ink paintings, each with a specific narrative. They are fresh, not muddy, representing a crossing into something new—a connection emerging from a place of disconnection, and a place of understanding existence.

"Summer Solstice" with its exploration into Guffogg’s time in light and the human experience, offers a glimpse into the artist’s atelier and his quest for truth. As articulated in Guffogg and the members of his Pharmaka group written out in the artists manifesto (2003):

“Postmodernism teaches us that the idea of unassailable Truth (with a capital ‘T’) is untenable. If there is a ‘truth’ in art, it is the honesty that exists between the artist and the viewer, and between the artist and the medium. This truth in art can be defined by the moment of interaction between artist and artwork, and then between artwork and viewer...”

Painting invites the viewer into a world created by the artist’s vision, demanding attention, and presence. Great painting emerges from the artist's painstaking efforts to create moments of recognition for the viewer. This is why painting is vital to PHARMAKA, representing a lifetime of learning and creating moments of human understanding through shared contemplation of the artwork …”  

In conclusion of my observations of summer and reflections on light, being, and the summer solstice, I am reminded of Gilles Deleuze's text from his chapter on orality in Logic of Sense. Deleuze suggests that without our physical existence in the world—encountering the landscape and all its elements, people, objects, the sun, darkness, moon, earth, history, and its relics, from the dark ages to the present—we are all just expressions. By paying attention to the seasons and living deeply within each one, honoring its course and narrative, we might be filled with more light and understanding, and hopefully, a sense of empathy for all things and individuals.

Let us now pray to the light and what it gives us in this hemisphere at this time and during this month, keeping in mind the work of Shane Guffogg. His dedication and hours spent finding his truth are evident in his series such as When I Consider How My Light is Spent, At the Still Point, Sapere Aude, and Crossings. These series are part of his personal conversation, turning his reflections into a legacy and trace of paintings. Guffogg's work navigates the world while honoring peace and justice, leaving behind a profound legacy of light and understanding.

“Language is rendered possible by that which distinguishes it. What separates sound from bodies makes sounds into the elements of a language. What separates speaking from eating renders speech possible; what separates propositions from things renders propositions possible. The surface and that which takes place at the surface is what “renders possible”—in other words, the event as that which is expressed. The expressed makes possible the expression.” (Orality “The Logic of Sense.” Giles Deleuze

Written by Victoria Chapman

June 19, 2024 Los Angeles

“The display features work from Guffogg's series, “When I Consider How My Light is Spent.” The title and development of this series are inspired by the British poet John Milton (1608-1674) and his work of the same title. Milton, famously known for the epic poem Paradise Lost (1667), writes Sonnet 19, or "When I Consider How My Light is Spent," which was first published in Milton's 1673 Poems. However, there is debate that it could have been written in 1652 and completed thus published in 1655 when Milton's blindness was complete. Milton wrote the poem to contemplate his life and purpose.

The poem resonated with Guffogg, not because he was going blind, but because he wanted to contemplate how he spent his light and his purpose in making art. With that said, he also pondered what exactly he is expressing through his art.”

EL NIDO AND THE BLUE ROOM, 1028 N. WESTERN AVENUE, LOS ANGELES, CA 90029 | CONTACT: VICTORIA@VCPROJECTS.ART

This exhibition is dedicated to those in search of the light

When I Consider How My Light Is Spent

John Milton

1608 –1674

When I consider how my light is spent,
   Ere half my days in this dark world and wide,
   And that one talent which is death to hide
Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
   My true account, lest He returning chide;
   "Doth God exact day-labor, light denied?"
I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent
That murmur, soon replies, "God doth not need
   Either man's work or His own gifts. Who best
   Bear His mild yoke, they serve Him best. His state
Is kingly: thousands at His bidding speed,
   And post o'er land and ocean without rest;
   They also serve who only stand and wait."