Art photos courtesy of Becky Guttin
By Mimi Pollack
SAN DIEGO — This has been a good year for internationally renowned artist, Becky Guttin. After the pandemic, and the passing of her beloved father, a talented artist in his own right, she has emerged from a period of mourning. She has come out with a bang artistically with three different projects.
First, Guttin’s work is part of a yearlong exhibit in Terminal Two at the San Diego International Airport. It is part of the Cross Border Art Exhibit for World Design Capital San Diego-Tijuana 2024, Espacios & Lines. Espacios & Lines features the work of 16 local artists, half of whom work binationally, five who reside in Baja California. Guttin was born in Mexico City but has lived in La Jolla for the last 25 years.
Guttin’s series called “Contents and Continents-Mixed Media” is prominently displayed in Terminal Two by the escalator that leads down to baggage claim. “Contents and Continents” is made up of three clear acrylic cases, each containing four pieces derived from five different natural materials like glass, feathers, roots, dried plants and straw, combined with other materials to create geometric forms, with the materials acquiring a new life.
It was important for Guttin to create them in a way that they could be appreciated from all angles with no “back” part. There is a QR to scan with Guttin’s information, and she told me that she has received a lot of positive feedback from both friends and total strangers who have sent her selfies of themselves with her pieces.
Next, Guttin was invited to participate in the San Diego Museum of Art series, “Arts of Americas.” According to the text at the museum, “The galleries are dedicated to art made in the Americas. Through select works, this presentation reveals the diverse creativity that has flourished within this expansive range of geographies and cultures. The works feature how artists represent or respond to a place or landscape. A site can stir memories, contain personal and collective histories, or shed light on environmental concerns. Some of these artworks examine the interplay between a specific place and its traditions, histories and physical realities. For instance, in her sculptural installation, Strati II, San Diego based artist, Becky Guttin, recovers traditional ways of life still found in small villages. Based on her childhood memories, her piece is composed of bronze casts of plants that are a type of gourd that can be used as a sponge once dried.”
This large exhibit takes up one wall and it is part of the museum’s permanent collection as it is a gift from Guttin in loving memory of her maternal grandparents, Isaac and Julita Sorokin.
Finally, Guttin was invited to show her work at a prestigious gallery in Mexico City, called the Nina Menocal gallery. The three pieces exhibited there are “Colony,” made up of acrylic, ink, and handmade Korean paper, “Blue Colony”, also made of handmade Korean paper, ink, and acrylic, and “Blue Flower” made up of glass, iron, and wood.
Guttin was close to her father, Rafael “Fallo” Mareyna, and his passing at 93 hit her hard. They shared a love of life and artistic expression, so these exhibits are also a way for her to honor him.
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Mimi Pollack is a freelance writer based in La Mesa, California.