Sacos de dormir [Sleeping Bags]

Leonardo da Vinci described painting as a glass wall between the viewer and the model. Taking this notion literally, Gumucio places his “models”—three sleeping bags—behind a transparent acrylic pane. Despite the everyday nature of the sleeping bags, the formal arrangement recalls the frieze on the Parthenon built in the 5th century BC on the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. Thus, he takes an ideal of beauty in Classical sculpture as his point of departure. Critics have called Gumucio a Renaissance artist in exile, referring to the Classical references in his work and his mastery of unconventional painting techniques. His work explores the emptiness of illusion and reality, reflected in the vacant, body-less sleeping bags.