Guillermo Kuitca in front of his work at The Drawing Center, photo by H. Hannig for ArtObserved
Argentinian painter Guillermo Kuitca has, for the past several decades, continued to explore the visual aesthetic of organization, the varied architectural and illustrative lines at the heart of the maps, floor plans and aerial views, abstracting these images into his own personal artistic language. The record becomes a personal interpretation, and vice versa.
Guillermo Kuitca at The Drawing Center photo by Cathy Carver
Guillermo Kuitca – Diario (16 October 2008 – 14 April 2009), courtesy The Drawing Center
Creating a thematic counterpoint to much of his other work, the Diarios series, now on view at The Drawing Center in New York City, shows the Argentinian painter turning his work inward towards a more personal, reflective artistic narrative. For these works, ranging from 2005 to the present, Kuitca has sought to personally document long stretches of his own life, stretching old canvases across a discarded table from his parents’ garden, and using it to record a series of multimedia works including doodles, collage, found objects, phone numbers and personal notes.
Guillermo Kuitca – Diario (20 October 2005 – 14 March 2006), courtesy The Drawing Center
With the passage of time, these adornments become the work itself, filled with the detritus of Kuitca’s creative and personal life, and offering a running artistic document of the particular years or months.
Guillermo Kuitca – Diario (1 July – 16 October 2008), courtesy The Drawing Center
The Diarios on view present the ongoing process of creation, brainstorming, and intersection between family, personal life, and creative practice, all juxtaposed with the physical interplay between the artist’s environment, lifestyle and work. Combining personal experience with aesthetic rendering, Kuitca’s artistic “voice” takes on new, complexly layered implications.
Guillermo Kuitca – Diario (19 June – 6 November 2009), courtesy The Drawing Center
By adorning both time and canvas with the moments between formal practice and exhibition, Kuitca illustrates a life both outside of and consciously ingrained with his formal artistic oeuvre, extending the scope of creation while simultaneously remaining rooted in the visual tradition of 20th century abstract painting and mixed media.
Guillermo Kuitca – Diario (14 March – 20 July 2006), courtesy The Drawing Center
Diarios is on view at The Drawing Center until December 16th, and will then travel to Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI from February 22 – May 26, 2013 and then to MCA Denver, where it will be on view from June 21 – September 15, 2013.
Guillermo Kuitca – Diario (17 August – 3 December 2007), courtesy The Drawing Center
Guillermo Kuitca at The Drawing Center photo by Cathy Carver
Guillermo Kuitca – Diario (25 May – 20 October 2005), courtesy The Drawing Center
Guillermo Kuitca – Diario (14 December 2006 – 17 August 2007), courtesy The Drawing Center
Guillermo Kuitca – Diario (20 July – 12 December 2006), courtesy The Drawing Center
—D. Creahan
Artist’s website: [Guillermo Kuitca]
[The Drawing Center]
[Guillermo Kuitca Via Hauser & Wirth]
[Guillermo Kuitca via Sperone Westwater]
[Guillermo Kuitca via LA Louver]
Interior Design Magazine: ["The Drawing Center’s New Building Search Ends at Home with WXY Architecture + Urban Design"]
