Colonia Roma, CDMX
During the last edition of Art Week Mexico, one of the pieces that most captivated me was by Nicolas Guzmán, presented at Salón ACME. His 400 x 290 canvas was a celebration of color and sound—layered, rhythmic, and alive.
I recently had the privilege of guiding a visit to his studio in Colonia Roma, and what I found was far more than an artist’s workspace. It was a universe—a world where painting, sound, cinema, and philosophy collide.
“I studied in the printmaking department at the Faculty of Fine Arts,” Nico told us.
“There were only three of us, and most of our professors came from the research department. So my processes developed differently. Most of what I do is a research into the forms of art. That’s why I’m drawn to film now—because it’s where I can bring together everything I know.”
And everything he knows is vast: music, theater, philosophy, performance, curatorial work, cultural management. Nicolas doesn’t believe in limiting the artist’s role to one medium or one output.
“I think that a creative person must explore multiple languages, multiple systems. That’s what contemporary art allows: it doesn’t demand a single way of being—it encourages a rhizomatic approach, like the roots of grass. Not like a tree with one trunk, but many roots, many paths. That’s where I locate my practice.”
Right now, he’s immersed in researching José Clemente Orozco, preparing for an upcoming film project and working on monumental paintings that echo the intensity of Mexico’s great muralists.
“Most of the time I’m just here—locked in, producing.”
It’s rare to encounter someone whose practice is so deeply layered yet so accessible. If you’re in the city, his studio is one of those places that changes how you see CDMX. A stop not just on a map—but in a conversation about what art is becoming.
On your next trip to CDMX, I highly recommend a visit to his studio, tucked into a quiet corner of Colonia Roma. There, you’ll be taken on an intimate journey through his creative universe—one layered with memory, music, and the bold spirit of contemporary Mexican art. I recently guided a small group through his space and was struck by how deeply immersive it was. I left feeling like I had only scratched the surface.
About his monumental piece exhibited at Salón ACME: a tribute to the state of Veracruz, featuring a “machine of suspended forms” hovering over a vibrant stain of color—like a dreamscape viewed through a kaleidoscope. Nicolas explained:
“The painting evokes a diffused landscape inspired by Salvador Cruzado’s color and painting workshop. His vivid style shaped my early years at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the Universidad Veracruzana.”
It’s this kind of rich, personal context that transforms an artwork into an experience.
Next time I visit, I’m certain he’ll be working on something even bigger.
Nicolás Guzmán (1983, Xalapa, Veracruz), is a multidisciplinary artist whose work challenges how we experience and understand art. Drawing from his studies in Mexico, personal experiences, and influences from minimalism and Abstract Expressionism, Guzmán explores color, space, and form as expressions of consciousness. His evolving style defies conventional boundaries, transforming art into a ritual of reflection that invites spontaneity and redefines the limits of artistic creation.
