BIOGRAPHY

Philippine born Cicero deGuzman Jr. lives in Kingston NY, and has worked as an art director and photographer. deGuzman’s career in art direction largely focused in editorial publishing for titles that include Harper’s Bazaar, Men’s Vogue, and Jane Magazines. In deGuzman’s earlier photographic work, deGuzman takes a documentary approach to capturing behind the scenes stories in the fashion and motorsport industries, including projects with Helmut Lang, Nicholas K, K/ller Collection, Yamaha Motors Europe, and Harley-Davidson. deGuzman has exhibited his documentary motorcycle photography in the U.S., Canada, England, Brazil, and Switzerland.

deGuzman’s current lens based artistic endeavor began in 2020. The figurative artworks employ mis-focus, mis-exposure, and movement to heavily abstract and minimize form. In this process, deGuzman relinquishes intent and control and instead, gratefully receives each unexpected outcome. 

ARTIST STATEMENT

This photographic study began as a reaction to over two decades as an art director for publishing houses including Conde Nast, Hearst, and Time Inc. The experience of conceiving, constructing, and continually manipulating precise images of fashion and beauty slowly lead to this contrasting personal study. 

In this current work, I utilize motion, chance decisions, and technically imperfect photographic exposures to rouse an unpredictability of composition and form, provoking imagery that is spontaneous, impressionistic, or at times completely abstracted. 

I experience this process with little control, learning to welcome each moment revealed with acceptance and gratitude. As the work begins to move past the reactionary, I hope to see it conceptually evolve and figuratively minimize, as the beginnings of more personal contemplations related to memory, impermanence, and imperfect states arise.