Clara de Tezanos
"Sunlight and the various experiences associated with it (dazzling glare, source of life, or mystical radiance) are the main motifs in Clara de Tezanos' work. Trained as a photographer, light is the primary material of her research, which she associates with the perception of time and the experience of the sacred.
To explore the sun and its infinite power, the artist constructs small amulets with found objects (small pieces of wood, leather, viewfinders, prisms, or magnifying glasses). These shimmering lamps invite us to imagine how time translates into light. Indeed, the colorful reflections become a metaphor for the cycles of life, a symbol of the eternal and the ephemeral, and of constant change. For de Tezanos, 'light is a synthesis of spirituality,' and her objects and images urge us to feel the sacred within the body, discovering light through diaphanous connections with our dreams and senses."
- Aurelie Baron, Marta Ponsa, and Luce Le Bart
Clara de Tezanos is a Guatemalan artist and co-founder of the Center of Contemporary Photography (2009), La Fototeca and the GuatePhoto International Photography Festival. As director, she curated several exhibitions, led editorial projects and taught for over 10 years. In 2018 De Tezanos self-published several photo books including Piedra-Padre, Universo and Por Maniobras de un Terceto, which became finalists for the Aperture & Paris Photo First Book Award 18, the PhotoEspaña 2020 Best Photography Book Award and the Rencontres d'Arles 2020 Book Award. She presented both books with solo exhibitions at La Erre in Guatemala City and at La Nueva Fábrica in Antigua Guatemala.
Recent solo shows were held at Faites un Voeu at Galerie La La Lande in 2024 in Paris, France and La Fuente es el Sol at Galería Rebelde in 2022 in Guatemala City. Her latest collective shows were held in Mexico at Casa Wabi and in Paris, HangarY.
Today, Clara continues to create lens-based images, but is now interested in building larger projects that incorporate video, sculpture, and performance. Her recent work focuses on constructing sensorial objects and sculptures that capture light, color, and sound to transform spaces into sacred experiences.
Featured Works
