Hypersensitive Romantic: Diego Gutierrez

In his studio practice, Diego Gutierrez probes the function of painting. Synthesizing varied art historical approaches, he pushes formal boundaries by tearing surfaces, adding sculptural elements, and re-working subject matter obsessively. Through this dedicated process, he investigates meaning and ruminates on how his work exists in his studio versus in a public setting where it might be activated in unexpected ways. Gutierrez is informed by nostalgia and confesses to over-romanticizing both lived and imagined experiences.

His works are simultaneously a response to deep political and social concern and playful, humorous ruminations on childhood and popular culture. In Gutierrez’s work, there are references to gun violence, racial profiling, and the treatment of women in contemporary society but also allusions to comics, a day at the beach, and conversations with loved ones. Across his practice, Gutierrez questions whether painting can exist as a safe space connected to everyday life. Hypersensitive Romantic marks the artist’s first solo exhibition in Miami and features new and recent work.

About the artist:

Born in Los Angeles in 1982, Diego Gutierrez currently lives and works in Miami. He received his BFA from Cal State Fullerton in 2009 and a MFA in Painting from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2012. Gutierrez’s work has been included in multiple group exhibitions including Welcome to Miami at The Fountainhead Residency, Miami, Doers Doingat Gesamtkunst Werkshop, Brooklyn, N.Y., and Spheres of Meaning: An Exhibition of Artists’ Books at the Frost Art Museum. Gutierrez is a studio resident at Oolite Arts.