Harif Guzman (born March 23, 1975) is a contemporary artist living in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. His work has been exhibited internationally as well as across the United States. He first gained recognition for his work as a street artist in New York. Often executed in

collage Collage (, from the french: coller, "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 assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole. ...

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 philosophical monism which holds matter to be the fundamental substance in nature, and all things, including mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions. According to philosophical materiali ...

and

popular culture Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a ...

Early life

Born in

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

, 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 or a company * Printer (computing), a hardware device * Optical printer for motion picture films People * Nariman Printer ( fl. c. 1940), Indian journalist and activist * Jame ...

and typesetter, 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 or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are: * living on the streets, also kn ...

, 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 graff ...

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

, Uma Thurman 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 an art museum in the Meatpacking District and West Village neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1930 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–1942), ...

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 the Ralph Lauren Corporation, a global multibillion-dollar enterprise. He has become well known for his co ...

Volcom Volcom is a lifestyle brand that designs, markets, and distributes boardsports-oriented products. Volcom is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, U.S. The brand is known for its trademark ''stone'' logo, its slogan ''True to This'', and the '' ...

and Burtons. His work has also been featured in '' Italian Vogue'', ''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 ph ...

'', ''Sport and Street'', '' Flaunt Magazine'' and '' Oyster Magazine''. In 2023, he was accused of sexually assaulting the multidisciplinary artist ETTE.https://t2conline.com/ette-exposes-the-name-of-her-predator-and-takes-back-her-life-in-dramatic-performance-art-piece/

References

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