Harif Guzman (born March 23, 1975) is a

contemporary artist Contemporary art is a term used to describe the art of today, generally referring to art produced from the 1970s onwards. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art i ...

living in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. His work has been exhibited internationally as well as across the United States. He first gained recognition for his work as a

street artist A street artist is a person who makes art in public places. Street artists include portrait artists, caricaturists, graffiti artists, muralists and people making crafts. Street artists can also refer to street performers such as musicians, acr ...

in New York. Often executed in

collage Collage (, from the , "to glue" or "to stick together") is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an assembly of different forms, thus creating a new whole. (Compare with pasti ...

form, Guzman's work is vibrant, provocative and dark in nature. He is known for exploring topics such as women,

materialism Materialism is a form of monism, philosophical monism according to which matter is the fundamental Substance theory, substance in nature, and all things, including mind, mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions. Acco ...

and

popular culture Popular culture (also called pop culture or mass culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of cultural practice, practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as popular art

f. pop art F is the sixth letter of the Latin alphabet. F may also refer to: Science and technology Mathematics * F or f, the number 15 (number), 15 in hexadecimal and higher positional systems * ''p'F'q'', the hypergeometric function * F-distributi ...

or mass art, sometimes contraste ...

Early life

Born in

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

, Guzman came to the United States in 1980 when he was five years old. His father was a

printer Printer may refer to: Technology * Printer (publishing), a person * Printer (computing), a hardware device * Optical printer for motion picture films People * Nariman Printer (fl. c. 1940), Indian journalist and activist * James Printer (1640 ...

and

typesetter Typesetting is the composition of Written language, text for publication, display, or distribution by means of arranging metal type, physical ''type'' (or ''sort'') in mechanical systems or ''glyphs'' in digital systems representing ''char ...

, and in his youth, Guzman worked in his father's print shop and gained an appreciation for mechanical reproduction. During a period of time when he was

homeless Homelessness, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered, is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. It includes living on the streets, moving between temporary accommodation with family or friends, liv ...

, Guzman began tagging his name on the streets of New York. He became recognized for his work and his career as an artist flourished. Known for his alter ego "Haculla", Guzman's created character has become an iconic figure in New York City street art. Today Guzman's

street art Street art is visual art created in public locations for public visibility. It has been associated with the terms "independent art", "post-graffiti", "neo-graffiti" and guerrilla art. Street art has evolved from the early forms of defiant gr ...

inspired work can be seen in the tunnel at the Dream Hotel in New York Guzman has worked with artists such as Theo Tarrega and model

Luka Sabbat Luka Sabbat (born November 26, 1997) is a French-American actor and model. He is known for his role as Luca Hall in the television series ''Grown-ish'', which he starred in from 2018 to 2022. Early life Sabbat was born in the Lower East Side of ...

. Guzman's latest works will be previewed in a solo show entitled “Three Wishes” during the 2021 edition of Art Dubai that will last until April 3.

Technique

Guzman's work is inspired by 1920s

Dada Dada () or Dadaism was an anti-establishment art movement that developed in 1915 in the context of the Great War and the earlier anti-art movement. Early centers for dadaism included Zürich and Berlin. Within a few years, the movement had s ...

art, 1960s Pop art, and 1990s street art, and by the chaos of New York City. Further inspiration is the result of Guzman's earliest experiences of image making that he encountered working in his father's print shop as a boy.

Critical reception

Guzman's work has been purchased by

Tommy Hilfiger Thomas Jacob Hilfiger ( ; born March 24, 1951) is an American fashion designer and the founder of Tommy Hilfiger (company), Tommy Hilfiger Corporation. After starting his career by co-founding a chain of jeans/fashion stores called People's P ...

Uma Thurman Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970) is an American actress. She has performed in a variety of films, from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action films. Following her appearances on the December 1985 and May 1986 cover ...

and Dag Cramer. He was featured at The

Whitney Museum of American Art The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is a Modern art, modern and Contemporary art, contemporary American art museum located in the Meatpacking District, Manhattan, Meatpacking District and West Village neighbor ...

in May 2013, the GR Gallery in New York City in 2020, and at the Paul Fisher Gallery. Guzman has collaborated with companies such as

Ralph Lauren Ralph Lauren ( ; ; born October 14, 1939) is an American fashion designer, philanthropist, and billionaire businessman, best known for founding the brand Ralph Lauren (brand), Ralph Lauren, a global multibillion-dollar enterprise. He stepped do ...

Volcom Volcom was an American lifestyle brand that designed, marketed, and distributed boardsports-oriented products. Volcom is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California. The brand was known for its trademark ''stone'' logo, its slogan ''True to This'', ...

and Burtons. His work has also been featured in ''

Italian Vogue ''Vogue Italia'' is the Italian edition of ''Vogue'' magazine owned by Condé Nast International. In publication since 1964, it has been called the top fashion magazine in the world. The publication is currently edited by Francesca Ragazzi and w ...

'', ''Sugar Skateboard Magazine'', ''

Thrasher Thrashers are a New World group of passerine birds related to mockingbirds and New World catbirds. Like these, they are in the family Mimidae. There are 15 species in one large and 4 monotypic genera. These do not form a clade but are a phe ...

'', ''Sport and Street'', ''Flaunt Magazine'' and '' Oyster Magazine''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guzman, Harif Venezuelan artists 1975 births Living people