The Centro de Creación Contemporánea de Andalucía is pleased to present the exhibition Green Shade:Federico Guzmán and the Way of Plants, featuring a wide array of works in various formats made by Federico Guzmán (Seville, 1964) over the last two decades.

Verdure and its life-creating capacity, as both concept and aesthetic, runs through this entire exhibition, from the earliest work, Yagé (Caapi, 2000) to the most recent, Himno a Gaia (Hymn to Gaia, 2022). Natural remedies, medicinal herbs, and the therapeutic effects of caapi and other plants with magical and healing properties are represented by pieces in different media and formats.

Additionally, the violence of the market and environmental catastrophes are investigated from a particular perspective in certain projects developed over the course of the 2000s. Guzmán addresses issues such as the free trade agreement between Colombia and the United States, which inspired Miss Malandra and the sculptural installation La bella embalada (The Hurtling Beauty); monocrops that standardize and deplete everything; the loss of biodiversity; the contamination of the food industry; or the mining disaster in Aznalcóllar that polluted Doñana National Park, recalled in works made with amurca, the toxic residual liquid produced by the olive oil industry.

The Green Shade exhibition also attempts to join the spiritual and the carnal in projects like Tomaco (Tomacco), the human and the natural in Hombre = árbol (Man = Tree), and even the earthly and the universal in the impressive Logos canvases, which reveal the artist¿s experiences, curiosity and commitment to learning the lessons of plants.

The 2006 piece that is also the title of the show, Sombra verde (Green Shade), represents learning by experiencing nature at first-hand and was inspired by the writings of American essayist Hakim Bey. The subtitle ¿Way of Plants¿ alludes to the botanical education received by young people who are destined to become healers in the Ingá community of Putumayo, Colombia.

· Download Exhibition Labels here.

· Download Press Release here.

· Download Gallery Sheet here.