EFA STUDIO PROGRAM: Member Artists
Guido Garaycochea
My work questions the dynamic of power and sex. It explores gender representation, nonconformity, and manhood. It also looks at how the queer body has had to heal and survive aspects of the status quo, impacted by capitalism and worldwide power dynamics. I am interested in deconstructing the normalized, binary construction of gender.
The scenes in my collages showcase dialogues between fictional characters, like children's stories when they play with dollhouses. Characters perform their sexual and gendered identities for the public in a small, self-contained space resembling a theater, looking for acceptance. They all have something to say. At times, they mutter taboo ideas, gossip, and secrets.
Born in Lima, Peru, studied Art at the "Escuela Nacional Superior de Bellas Artes del Perú" and graduated from art school with several awards and honors. In 1992-‐93, he moved to Chile and resumed his studies there, studying for his Bachelor of Aesthetics Degree and later his Master's degree in History and Theory of Art, later an MFA at SVA. He taught Art for many years in Chilean universities before moving to the United States. Once here, he taught at Mitchell College, UCONN, TTCC, and York Correctional in CT. Garaycochea cofounded Expressiones Cultural Center in New London, CT, in 2009, a non‐profit organization that promotes understanding between the Anglo and Hispanic communities through the arts to bridge cultural differences and showcase Latin American arts and culture. As curator of the artist residency at Expressions, he has promoted and encouraged the careers of numerous Latin American artists. He shares his time working as the New Yorkers program manager at the Queens Museum in New York while keeping his artistic practice alive in his Manhattan studio at the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts and participating in various exhibitions.
