SARASOTA, FLA.- What if a shadow was not something to escape, but something to embrace? That idea is at the center of “Maria A. Guzmán Capron: Penumbra,” a solo textile exhibition on view through Sept. 27 at Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design.

The exhibition’s title, “Penumbra,” refers to the outer edge of a shadow, where light still lingers, an in-between space where forms blur and definitions soften. For Capron, that space is not something to resolve, but something to inhabit.

Ten large-scale textiles transform fabric into a language of identity, memory and cultural complexity. Hand-dyed and screen-printed fabrics are stitched together, forming layered portraits that reflect the duality of human experience. Through her patchwork compositions of vivid color and eccentric characters, Capron explores cultural hybridity, a nonbinary sense of self and the tension between assimilation and visibility.


Maria A. Guzmán Capron (Peruvian Colombian American, b. 1981). “Algo Escondido,” 2025. Hand-dyed and screenprinted fabric, thread, and batting, 68 1/2 x 58 1/2 in. Courtesy of the artist and Nazarian / Curcio

Born in Milan to Peruvian and Colombian parents and raised in Texas, the California-based artist draws from her experience navigating multiple cultures and geographies. Her characters shift, merge and evolve, reflecting identity as fluid and shared.

“What strikes me most is how immediately personal this work feels. Visitors from all walks of life are going to see something of themselves in these figures,” said Lacie Barbour, associate curator of exhibitions at Sarasota Art Museum. “Through colorful characters and poetic narratives, Maria A. Guzmán Capron creates works that challenge traditional hierarchies and encourage intimacy and compassion.”


Maria A. Guzmán Capron (Peruvian Colombian American, b. 1981). “Espejo,” 2024. Hand-dyed and screenprinted fabric and thread, 72 x 55 1/2 in. Installation view of “Penumbra” at Sarasota Art Museum, Florida, 2026. Courtesy of the artist and Nazarian / Curcio. Photo: Ryan Gamma.

Capron’s figures are constructed from original textiles she designs herself, marking a shift in her practice. Once rooted in repurposed fabrics, her artistic process now begins at the source. Dyeing and screen-printing allow her to shape color and pattern with intention, creating surfaces that feel both personal and immediate.

“My making process is based on problem-solving, and it feels like there are an infinite number of ways I could work with textiles to approach an idea,” said Capron. “They are incomplete outside of the moments in which they are viewed and experienced by another person.”


Maria A. Guzmán Capron (Peruvian Colombian American, b. 1981). “Algo Escondido” (detail), 2025. Hand-dyed and screenprinted fabric, thread, and batting, 68 1/2 x 58 1/2 in. Courtesy of the artist and Nazarian / Curcio.

Throughout the exhibition, exaggerated hands and intertwined forms emphasize touch as a form of communication. In “Déjame Llevarte” (2025), two figures walk hand in hand, their bodies echoing and blending into one another. The work captures trust in motion and suggests that connection is something carried forward. Other works extend this idea. In “Algo Escondido” (2025), a hidden face appears within the larger figure’s torso, reflecting on the construction and performance of the self and how we conceal and reveal parts of our identities depending on our environment. In “Espejo” (2024), layered and fragmented figures embrace and fold into each other, dissolving boundaries between self and other.

A 15-foot soft sculpture anchors the gallery and carries that sense of movement into space. Nearby, Capron’s cast of curvy, otherworldly portraits feature shadowy figures capable of moving, stretching and playing in ways that defy the laws of our physical world. Here, those figures are confident and free.


Maria A. Guzmán Capron (Peruvian Colombian American, b. 1981). “Déjame Llevarte” (detail), 2025. Hand-dyed and screenprinted fabric, thread, and batting, 69 x 57 1/2 in. Courtesy of the artist and Nazarian / Curcio.

“I think visitors will be touched by the sensitivity and humanity packed into these vibrant textiles,” said Virginia Shearer, Sarasota Art Museum’s executive director. “This exhibition reflects what it means to be human today, and we are proud to share it with our community.”

“Maria A. Guzmán Capron: Penumbra” is organized by Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design and curated by Lacie Barbour, associate curator of exhibitions. The exhibition is made possible, in part, with support from platinum sponsors Judy and Fred Fiala; Shari and John Hicks; and the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation. Silver sponsors include Warren R. and Marie E. Colbert; Marge and Leon Ellin; and Kimberley A. Pelyk.