Introduction
Shane Guffogg: The Future as Past is Present
A Solo Exhibition Featuring Twenty-Four Oil and Canvas Paintings
Opening October 24, 2024, at Gallery Chang, New York City, NY
It’s always fascinating how Shane Guffogg approaches his work. His titles, like The Future, as Past is Present, draw you into his world. They aren’t just clever phrases; they represent Shane’s reflections on time, space, and the essence of existence. His fascination with time is unmistakable, a theme that has guided his artistic practice for over three decades. Much of his thinking has been shaped by T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets, an exploration of time and transformation that Eliot began writing on the cusp of World War II.
Shane’s work has always carried a certain weight—a documentation of his life and his presence on this earth. His upcoming solo exhibition at Gallery Chang will showcase this perfectly.
The Counting of Days series in this exhibition beautifully embodies this concept. While the pieces visually resemble flowers, they profoundly reflect Guffogg’s lived experiences. Each brushstroke marks the passage of time, much like the counting of prayer beads, capturing sensory moments from his birth to the day the painting was completed—an actual count documented at the bottom of each painting.
These works are a personal narrative and a universal meditation on the passage of time. The softness and freedom conveyed in these paintings evoke the transient nature of existence—appearing and fading much like passing thoughts. Each piece is centered around a singular color palette, offering a meditative quality that invites viewers to contemplate the fleeting moments of their own lives.
Guffogg's approach to painting is almost alchemical. Through each stroke, he transforms raw materials into something profound—an enduring expression of thought, memory, and emotion that transcends the limitations of time.
In the series A Rose is a Rose is a Rose, inspired by Gertrude Stein’s poem Sacred Emily and Guffogg's connection to his garden, the work challenges traditional ideas of fixed identity and meaning. Rather than offering literal depictions of roses, Guffogg's paintings embody abstract experiences that explore the fluidity of identity. His characteristic use of sweeping ribbons, flashes of color, and veils of light creates an ethereal, dreamlike space where viewers are drawn into the divine and the miraculous. This series becomes a visual journey through unseen forces, reflecting the ever-changing and fluid nature of perception and self.
Guffogg’s mastery of intertwining time and identity reaches its pinnacle in his At the Still Point of the Turning World series, a title drawn from T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets. These works transcend time and space, functioning as visual poetry that seeks to capture the infinite. There are energetic forces in these paintings. When asked how the artist creates this sense of movement and gravity, guiding the viewer into the painting, he said; “It’s hard to explain how I know. There isn’t a thought or thoughts, or my inner voice speaking to me. It is a feeling that goes beyond where words go and I know a painting is done when I can sense it the painting is breathing on its own and will continue to do so after it leaves the studio.”
It's no wonder David Ash, a renowned quantum physicist, was captivated by Guffogg’s art at his May 2024 Paris exhibition. After experiencing the works, Ash observed, “You’re painting what I’m writing about. This is a form of quantum physics,” seamlessly connecting Guffogg’s artistic expressions with the intricate theories of space, time, and existence.
The convergence of Eliot’s philosophical poetry, quantum theory, and Guffogg’s personal experiences creates a profound resonance in his art. One particularly striking example is his Late Roses in Early Snow, a painting that connects deeply with the intellectual and artistic energy of the delicate beauty of Monet and the dynamic gestures of Pollock, Guffogg’s work coexists with the rhythms of nature while also engaging with contemporary perspectives. Much like Eliot’s blending of Western and Eastern philosophies, Guffogg captures a unique synergy of influences from both traditions. The soft pastels in this painting, reminiscent of New York’s winter landscapes, evoke a harmonious dialogue between the city's constant reinvention and the timeless quality of Guffogg’s artistic vision.
Through his work, Guffogg continues to push the boundaries of painting as a medium for exploring reality's deeper mysteries. His upcoming exhibition at Gallery Chang promises to be a powerful continuation of his exploration of the intricate connections between time, identity, and existence. For viewers, it’s an invitation to pause, reflect, and engage with the profound questions that define our very being. – Victoria Chapman
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