Miguel Machuca: Drawing Light from Darkness

Through the dark and haunting images, hope emerges. What first strikes the viewer as uncompromising views of daimonic forces and rending hearts, are in reality images of the artist's own psychological journey through the frightening abyss, in this case, the harrowing fears of cancer. But it is not the dark surfaces of a personal journey through the unknown that ultimately commands our attention, should we be so bold as to see, but the underlying connectedness and myriad of symbols that speak to the artist's resolution, strength, hope, and love. "Drawing Light from Darkness" is more than a play on the artist's method of revealing erased white lines and symbols out of a darkened charcoal background, it is a guidebook for us in how to approach these initially startling works, helping us to search for the light that can be found even in the most frightening of journeys.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.