Sex, Violence, and Addiction Reign at Haculla's 'IN CHARGE'

We spoke to Harif Guzman, a.k.a. HACULLA, about his vice-fueled new solo show.

by Beckett Mufson

September 23, 2015, 6:46pm

IN CHARGE, Harif Guzman. Images by Pat Bombard

Skulls splattered by bullets, an effigy of Karl Lagerfield escorted by two man-sized phalli, and more LEDs and fake coke than a state fair greet vistors to Harif Guzman's solo show IN CHARGE at Die Fabrik in New York City.

At the opening, fashionistas with face masks and a dude wearing an honest-to-god gauntlet milled about with Guzman's friends, a mix of art world boppers and chic skaters. The show, curated by Christian Alexander, incorporate sculpture, performance art, painting, and new media. IN CHARGE is a no-holds-barred embrace of the artist's most scorned urges and addictions, dirt and gloss mixed together in the hopes of cancelling each other out.

We've seen this kind of work from Guzman before in a 2011 show called POWER, which also featured Lagerfeld surrounded by penises, along with a drug-dealing pony. "IN CHARGE…is a visual converstion about the arresting qualities of addictions as well as our own mortality and a desire to be born again," he tells The Creators Project. Before this, he had spread his pseudonym (and lately clothing line), Haculla around the world with sprawling street murals and gallery shows. He uses pop culture references and a heavy-eyed avatar to create cultural commentary, working largely in the US, Italy, and China.

In the wake of Hurrcane Sandy in 2013, Guzman took a break from the flashing lights and street art-style paintings for a more introspective series called Now That I'm Sober?, depicting the literal and emotional darkness facing New York. "I found myself wandering the city, re-evaluating once famaliar scenery that was now only illuminated by what little moon light the dark sky would allow to enter," he says. "It was sobering."

Tonight, IN CHARGE moves from Die Fabrik to Guzman's studio, which he recently converted into an art space called the Soho Arts Club. We spoke to the artist about his personal transormation, his new clothing line, and struggling with addiction.

The Creators Project: It's been a couple years since your last solo exhibit. What have you been up to since 2013?

Harif Guzman: Jesus! You guys got some tea or something? Let's see, I have been nothing short of busy traveling and showing art around the world and building on my other creative endevors.

I have two clothing lines, the first being HACULLA, which consists of high end, conceptual, ready-to-wear items based on the trademark characters and handstyle I've become known for over the years. In its first year it is currently crushing it internatioanlly (thank god) and selling out at stores like Bloomingdales, Harvy Nichols, and Saks Fith Ave. The second is DELANCI, a streetwear line that is a love letter to New York skateboarding and an outlet for the young creatives that I surround myself with. Right now it's only avalible in Japan but will be sold in the States very soon.

I also have also turned what was once my private studio in Soho into the SOHO ARTS CLUB, an event space and studio that has become a hub for New York's established and up and coming creatives. Contary to popular belief, it's not a boozed-fuled party house—although we have been know to throw one hell of a party! Ha and somewhere in all this chaos I still find time to paint and deal with girl drama.

Now That I'm Sober?, your last solo show, had a much more questioning less forceful feel than In Charge. What is the difference in what you were trying to achieve with the two bodies of work?

Well, Now That Im Sober was a series of cityscape paintings. My head was in a really weird place at the time due to the the post-Hurricane Sandy power outages while most people I knew where partying. On the opposite end of the spectrum is IN CHARGE, which is a visual converstion about the arresting qualities of addictions as well as our own mortality and a desire to be born again. This is the second of five exhibitions I have planned that will make use of incorporating LED lights into my paintings, which I first introduced in my 2011 exhibition POWERS.

Sex, drugs, addiction—these are the themes that dominate In Charge. Can you tell me about some of the experiences that prompted the work?

Oh man you might have to wait for the book for the crazy stories that would give you the proper answer to this question. But for better or worse, sex, drugs, violence, fashion, and addiction are a large part of my life, forever presenting new challenges to overcome and lessons to be learned in my personal life as well as how I choose to communicate with my art.

Well, one part of the show I found particularly fascinating was the ongoing performance with the druggie couple under the balcony. Where did that idea come from?

The perfomance was put in play to highlight my painting Just a Bump that hung behind them. Both the painting and perfomance art are inspired by lost years due to toxic relationships that I confused for love, and the resulting poor decisions I made blindly because of them.

Aimee Fortier and Danny Mennik perform as two drug-addicted lovers in the middle of the gallery.

Where did you find those actors?

The couple was played by my good friend Danny Minnick who I have know for years. He's a talented actor, as well as pro skateboarder and painter. Danny has delt with the demons of addiction personally and is now many years sober. His friend Aimee Fortier saved the day after having a few other actresses bail out on us. I basicilly wanted them to portray how dependency in all its facets can potentally be posionous to relationships with others and yourself.

How is that relevant to life as an artist?

I can proudly say my relationships with people are far healthier nowadays, but the past has always made me weary. The concept of love and love lost has always been a running theme in my work.

The whole show was reminiscent of the 80s, with the colorful lights, the dirt, and the atmosphere. Did that period have a big influence on your work?

Yeah, of course. I was born in 1975, and first moved to New York in the 80's. The New York experinces that sparked my imagination in those formative years have always stuck with me.

What's next for you? How do you see yourself topping this show or growing in your work? Do you plan to wait another two years before the next one?

I will continue working on both in art and business. I actully just finished a mural on Mott and Kenmare that deals with the same themes as IN CHARGE. I do plan to exhibit the third installment of the POWERS series this time next year.

If I walk out the door having learned, asked, thought, or felt one thing, what do you want it to have been?

Alive.