Alvin Guo
MFA ’22 Fine Arts Low-Residency
My work is about rethinking the significance and role of vision in the context of contemporary art. My vision is not as capable as I imagine; my art is not as distinct as it is ordinary. There are thousands of flowers in the garden, but only a few are appreciated. My work aims to interpret a gaze, showing an entire field of sight in one sole point of focus and it becomes the only visual attraction, surrounded by a large, unfocused, blurry field. I aim to create an “Art of Focus.” This approach is based on my understanding of the limitations of human vision.
My visual language integrates physiological vision and psychological vision. My images come from the stimulation of my visual perception, and they are transformed or derived through accumulation, reforming, and creation of psychological vision. They may be physical images, or mind images, or abstractions. In any case, they appear in two forms: blur and clarity. They are opposite and interdependent. I am to generate a strong tension in the confrontation between these two forms: softness and solidity, illusion and reality, in the hopes of bringing the audience a new visual experience.
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Alvin Guo is a Boston-based painter. He has worked as a teacher, editor, designer and painter. He has had many solo and group exhibitions in the US and China. Guo is the recipient of several awards, including a grand prize at the 1988 Chinese Painting Grand Prix Competition in Hongkong/Shenzhen. His work is held in the Bada Shanren museum as well as private collections. He loves nature, and celebrates the natural world through his art. His current work interprets his visual perception and reflects his understanding of human visual limitations.
