Daniel Guzmán's 'Chromosome Damage' Exhibition at Drawing Room Features Monstrous Drawings on Brown Paper

Daniel Guzmán's exhibition 'Chromosome Damage' at the Drawing Room presents 30 drawings of monstrous figures rendered in charcoal, acrylic, and pastel on thin brown paper. The title references a 1977 song by the American experimental rock band Chrome, continuing Guzmán's practice of pop culture citations that includes sources from William Burroughs to AC/DC. Hung across all four walls, the drawings initially appear as chaotic doodles but reveal clusters of twos and threes upon closer inspection, showing creatures that mutate, sprout new body parts, or dissolve into flesh. The works feature obsessive focus on breasts and genitalia, creating a patently adolescent aesthetic. Guzmán draws from his Mexican heritage, referencing Aztec deities Coatlicue, Tlaltecuhtli, and Cihuatéotl, while the brown paper support references utilitarian street food wrapping used in Latin America. The artist translates themes of fertility, sacrifice, life, and death into humble sketches on ephemeral materials. However, the exhibition's sexual politics prove problematic as female bodies become symbolic tools rather than subjects, with once-revered deities depicted in debased positions. The works were displayed in March 2015.