Cidade do México, 1967; reside e trabalha na Cidade do México
Mexico City, 1967; lives and works in Mexico City

Construcciones 1997
Fotografias Photographs

Puente 1997
Conjunto de 13 cadeiras Set of 13 chairs

Ao trabalhar com as coisas do cotidiano, Damián Ortega transforma o comum em extraordinário em suas esculturas, instalações, vídeos e fotografias. Isto se observa especialmente nas obras relacionadas com a arquitetura, tais como as torres construídas com tortilhas torradas ou a escultura em arco feita de cadeiras, exposta aqui, ou, ainda, as fotos de outros arranjos “natureza-morta” criados com essas mesmas peças de mobília, na sala contígua. São trabalhos de um artista que não se deixa constranger pelas restrições de dinheiro, espaço e propriedade. As esculturas (assim como as fotos) foram realizadas no apartamento do artista, com móveis velhos e deteriorados. Ao retrabalhar continuamente esses elementos em novas formas, Ortega evidencia a riqueza de invenção que é a moeda da mente criativa. Ao apropriar em sua obra a linguagem da ordem social incorporada pela arquitetura, Ortega despoja essas formas de sua utilidade e poder econômico. Ao que parece, ele desafia as hipóteses sociais, econômicas e técnicas que determinam a quem cabe construir o que e por quê. E, ao agir desta forma e com humor, o artista coloca sua obra e seu jogo construtivo incessante como um tipo de biografia cultural, além de comentário social.

Working with the things of daily life, Damian Ortega makes the ordinary extraordinary in sculptures, installations, videos, and photographs. This is especially true of his works related to architecture, such as his towers made of toasted tortillas, or the sculpture of an arch made of chairs that is on display here and the photographs of other “still-life” arrangements he made of these same pieces of furniture in the contiguous room. These are the works of an artist not constrained by the limits of money, space or property. They were made from the well-worn, castoff furniture in the artist’s apartment. By constantly reworking these elements into new forms, Ortega demonstrates the wealth of invention that is the currency of the creative mind. By appropriating the language of societal order
that architecture embodies, Ortega strips those forms of both their utility and their economic power. He seems to be challenging the complex technical, economic, and societal assumptions by which it is determined who gets to build what and why. And by doing so with humor, the artist positions his work and his constant constructive play as a kind of cultural biography, as well as social commentary. unraveled mass, which cushioned her fall. The performance was essential to the very conception of the sculpture, with each of its component parts serving a necessary function, while also providing metaphorical depth. The story of the making of each of Antoni’s works is somehow told by the works themselves, and how their present form suggests past actions. By taking utilitarian materials and ordinary actions and giving them another use, the artist questions the very meaning of “use.” To Draw a Line is about much more than simply walking the line in the air that the rope traces; it is about the journey of life, its experiences and their consequences, as well as the journey of art, and the search for meaning that art and life share.