damián ortega
1967, Mexico City
With his sense of wit and humor, Damián Ortega deconstructs familiar objects and processes, altering their functions and transforming them into novel experiences and scenarios. Ortega’s work plays with a scale that ranges from the molecular to the cosmic, as the art critic Guy Brett says, Ortega combines the cosmic with the accidental, applying the concepts of physics to human interactions where chaos, accidents and instability produce a system of relations in flux. Inverting and dissecting, reconfiguring and zooming in, he explores the tension that underlies every object and the infinite world inside them. The result of his inquiries reveals the interdependence of diverse components either within a complex engineered machine, or a social system. Envisioning his projects through drawing – that then take form as sculpture, installation, performance, film and photography – for Ortega, the work of art is always an action: an event. His experiments inhabit a space where possibility and the everyday converge, to activate a transcendent new way of looking at simple objects and routine interactions.
Damián Ortega began his career as a political cartoonist. He joined Gabriel Orozco’s workshop Taller de los viernes from 1987 to 1992. In 2005 he was nominated for the Hugo Boss Prize and in 2007 was nominated for the Preis der Nationalgalerie für junge Kunst. Similarly in 2014 he received the Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship from the Smithsonian Institution and in 2006 he made an artistic residency at Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD) in Berlin.
Among his work it is important to mention Alias Editorial, a project that started in 2006 which seeks the publication of essential and fundamental texts within contemporary art that have been discontinued or have not been translated into spanish, as well as having been written by the artists themselves or being interviews with them. In the same way and thanks to its austere edition, Alias makes the acquisition of such texts affordable for the public.
Damián Ortega lives and works in Mexico City.
sisters; hermanas, 2019–2020
bricks, corn, squash, chiles, beans
variable dimensions
sisters; hermanas, 2019–2020
bricks, corn, squash, chiles, beans
variable dimensions
replicant stone, 2019
silicon bronze
120.87 x 60.63 x 63.39 in.
installation view of estridentópolis, adrian rosenfeld gallery, san francisco, 2019
donkey tower, 2019
cardboard, styrofoam, kraft paper, pine wood, balsa wood and cement bags "empire state", shreve, lamb and harmon, new york, usa
101.18 x 34.25 x 19.69 in.
gorilla building, 2019
cardboard, styrofoam, kraft paper, pine wood, balsa wood and cement bags "habitat 67" moshe safdie, montreal, canada
77.56 x 68.9 x 35.43 in.
working skin, 2019
kraft paper and cement sack cuttouts
two pieces 11.02 x 3.15 x 7.09 in.
huipil, 2019
kraft paper and cement sack cuttouts
19.69 x 27.56 in.
istmeñan pattern, 2019
kraft paper and cement sack cuttouts
20.08 x 24.8 in.
warp cloud, 2018
plaster balls covered in bee wax, cotton thread, stainless steel wire, 5oz. lead weights
114.17 x 216.54 x 708.66 in. installed
installation view at echigo tsumari art triennale, japan, 2018
warp cloud, 2018
plaster balls covered in bee wax, cotton thread, stainless steel wire and 5oz. lead weights
114.17 x 216.54 x 708.66 in. installed
installation view at echigo tsumari art triennale, japan, 2018
the modern garden, 2018
variable dimensions
installation view at the garage museum of contemporary art, moscow, 2018
modern garden 29, 2018
steel and concrete
47.24 x 90.55 x 47.24 in.
installation view of modern garden, garage museum of contemporary art, moscow, 2018
the modern garden, 2018
variable dimensions
installation viewat the garage museum of contemporary art, moscow, 2018
torch lamp, 2017
aluminum, copper, acrylic
installed: 4816.93 in.
coliseum: diagram of time, 2017
pigmented concrete
variable dimensions
installation view of play time, white cube bermondsey, london, 2017
coliseum: diagram of time, 2017
pigmented concrete
variable dimensions
installation view of play time, white cube bermondsey, london, 2017
monumento, 2016
cotton canvas, ethafoam, ironwork, cotton thread, henequen thread, wood, screws and washers, ink and crayon plotter transfer
511.81 x 59.06 x 131.89 in.
installation view of el cohete y el abismo, palacio de cristal, museo nacional centro de arte reina sofía, madrid, 2016
torre latinoamericana, 2016
nappa leather beef, silica sand, metal tube, gabardine, waxed thread, ink and crayon plotter transfer
130.71 x 27.56 x 27.56 in.
installation view of el cohete y el abismo, palacio de cristal, museo nacional centro de arte reina sofía, madrid, 2016
lava waves, 2016
set of 33. clay from oaxaca, mexico
variable dimensions
installation view of damian ortega, the fruitmarket gallery, edinburgh, scotland, 2016
icebergs, 2016
set of 10. clay from oaxaca and zacatecas, mexico; pigments, acrylic
variable dimensions
installation view of damian ortega, the fruitmarket gallery, edinburgh, scotland, 2016
transición del mono al hombre, 2015
wooden hand model and steel knives
14.57 x 4.72 x 2.36 in.
physical graffiti 1, 2015
rebar
26.18 x 95.87 in.
pluricelular 6, 2015
pigmented concrete with oxide (5 pieces)
12.6 x 12.6 x 12.6 in.
pluricelular 4, 2015
pigmented concrete (13 pieces)
19.69 x 15.75 x 15.75 in.
weaving, 2014
wool loomed using a foot treadle by román gutiérrez, teotitlán del valle, oaxaca
137.01 x 43.31 in.
problema, 2014
concrete
60.24 x 40.16 x 28.35 in.
esquema del mundo: estratigrafías, 2014
polyurethane foam, bamboo, tissue paper, newspaper, kraft paper, cardboard, sisal, styrofoam and adhesive
39.37 x 43.31 x 39.76 in., 21.65 x 41.34 x 29.53 in.
esquema del mundo: estratigrafías, 2014
polyurethane foam, bamboo, tissue paper, newspaper, kraft paper, cardboard, sisal, styrofoam and adhesive
39.37 x 43.31 x 39.76 in., 21.65 x 41.34 x 29.53 in.
geoda 3: cebolla, 2014
tissue paper and dyed newspaper and white acid free adhesive
13.39 x 13.39 in. each
proyecto para biblioteca editorial alias, 2014
installation: 1 bookcase, 2 tables, 12 chairs, 1 balsa wood sign, 5 posters, 3 modules, 1 chicharronero cart, cement tile floor over triplay (376 ft2 approx.), 12 lamps, 10 complete alias collections (21 books each), 10 complete antítesis collections (5 books each)
variable dimensions
proyecto para biblioteca editorial alias, 2014
installation: 1 bookcase, 2 tables, 12 chairs, 1 balsa wood sign, 5 posters, 3 modules, 1 chicharronero cart, cement tile floor over triplay (376 ft2 approx.), 12 lamps, 10 complete alias collections (21 books each), 10 complete antítesis collections (5 books each)
variable dimensions
proceso constructivo, 2013
set of 6. tbc microchip divided into 6 construtive layers. wool weaved by eduardo francisco rodríguez (san luis de la paz, guanajuato)
77.76 x 59.25 in. each
sistema circulatorio, 2013
cotton thread on linen, hand embroidery
85.04 x 54.72 in. fabric
instante i, 2012
cotton thread on black velvet, hand embroidery by damián ortega
40.55 x 30.71 in.
architecture without architects, 2010
mixed media
dimensions variable
campo de visión / champ de vision, 2008
spyhole and five thousand acrylic colored round plaques (red, yellow, blue, gray) hanging by steel wire
472.44 x 196.85 x 196.85 in.
campo de visión / champ de vision, 2008
spyhole and five thousand acrylic colored round plaques (red, yellow, blue, gray) hanging by steel wire
472.44 x 196.85 x 196.85 in.
campo de visión / champ de vision, 2008
spyhole and five thousand acrylic colored round plaques (red, yellow, blue, gray) hanging by steel wire
472.44 x 196.85 x 196.85 in.
controller of the universe, 2007
found tools and wire
112.2 x 159.45 x 179.13 in.
installation view of that was then...this is now, ps1 moma, new york, 2008
controller of the universe, 2007
found tools and wire
112.2 x 159.45 x 179.13 in.
installation view of that was then...this is now, ps1 moma, new york, 2008
transportable obelisk, 2004
cast fiberglass obelisk with metal base with wheels
236.22 x 23.62 x 23.62 in.
escarabajo, 2005
16 millimeters film projected in a movie projector
16 min
escarabajo, 2005
16 millimeters film projected in a movie projector
16 min
moby dick, 2004
documentation of performance at the museum of contemporary art, los angeles
moby dick, 2004
video transferred to dvd
9 min 42 sec
cosmic thing, 2002
stainless steel, wire, beatle 83', plexiglass
variable dimensions
cosmic thing, 2002
stainless steel, wire, beatle 83', plexiglass
variable dimensions
installation view of damián ortega: do it yourself, the institute of contemporary art, boston, 2010
Past solo exhibitions include: Pico y Elote, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Monterrey (MARCO), Mexico (2023); Essay on Exchange, Museum Haus Konstruktiv, Zürich, Switzerland (2023); Expanded View, Centro Botín, Santander, Spain (2022); Jornada laboral, as part of Siembra, kurimanzutto, Mexico City (2021); Replicant Stone, Institute of Contemporary Art Miami (ICA Miami), FL (2019); The Modern Garden, Garage Museum, Moscow (2018); El cohete y el abismo, Palacio de Cristal – Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid (2016); Damián Ortega: States of Time, The Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland (2016); Casino, Malmö Konsthall, Sweden (2016), and Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan, Italy (2015); O fim da matéria, Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2015); Ape Culture, Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW) Berlin (2015); Cosmogonía doméstica, Museo Jumex, Mexico City (2014); Damián Ortega: Apestraction, The Freud Museum, London (2013); Tool Bit, PinchukArtCentre, Kyiv, Ukraine (2011); Damián Ortega, Barbican Centre, London (2010); Do It Yourself. Damián Ortega, Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston (ICA Boston), Massachusetts (2009); Champ de vision, Centre Pompidou, Paris (2008); Man is the Controller of the Universe, Daadgalerie, Berlin (2007); Obelisco transportable, commissioned by Public Art Fund, Central Park, New York (2007); Damián Ortega: The Beetle Trilogy and Other Works, Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater (REDCAT), Los Angeles (2007); The Uncertainty Principle, as part of UNTITLED Project Series, Tate Modern, London (2005); Damián Ortega, Kunsthalle Basel, Switzerland (2004); Cosmic Thing, Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (2002), among others.
Past group exhibitions include: Las paradojas del internacionalismo (narradas por la colección del Tamayo) Parte 1, Museo Tamayo, Mexico City (2023); Copy Machine Manifestos: Artists Who Make Zines, Brooklyn Museum, New York (2023), Colección Jumex: Todo se vuelve más ligero, Museo Jumex, Mexico City (2023): A Story of a Merchant, kurimanzutto, Mexico City (2023); No habrá nunca una puerta. Estás adentro. Obras de la Coleção Teixeira de Freitas, Fundación Santander, Madrid (2019); Art and Space, Guggenheim Bilbao, Spain (2018); Rastros y vestigios, Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso, Mexico City (2016), Museo Amparo, Puebla, Mexico (2015), and Instituto Cultural Cabañas, Guadalajara, Mexico (2015); Et In Libertalia Ego, Vol. II, MONA-Museum of Old and New Art, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia (2016); The Way Things Go, Kunsthal KAdE, Amersfoort, The Netherlands (2016); Le précieux pouvoir des pierres, Musée d'Art moderne et d'Art contemporain (MAMAC), Nice, France (2016); Under the Same Sun: Art From Latin America Today, South London Gallery (2016), Museo Jumex, Mexico City (2015), and Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York (2014); Eppur Si Muove, Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean (Mudam), Luxembourg City (2015); El derrumbe de la estatua, Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo (MUAC), Mexico City (2014); Panorama. Landscapes 2013–1969, Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City (2013); México Inside Out, Themes in Art Since 1990, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Texas (2013); Life: A User’s Manual, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem (2011); Every Day Matters, Faurschou Foundation Copenhague, Denmark (2013); Mexico: Expected / Unexpected - collection Isabel et Agustín Coppel, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, CA (2011) and La maison rouge, Paris, (2008); among others.
Ortega has participated in many international biennials, including: Tsumari-Echigo Triennale, Japan (2018); 14e Biennale d’art contemporain de Lyon, France (2017); Sharjah Biennial 12, United Arab Emirates (2015); International Art Exhibitions at the 55th and 50th Venice Biennial (2013 and 2003); 11a Bienal de la Habana (2012); 4th Berlin Biennale (2006); 15th Biennial of Sydney, Australia (2006); 27a Bienal de São Paulo, Brazil (2006) and 4th Gwangju Biennale, South Korea (2002).
read the full article in spanish from la jornada
read the full article in spanish from excelsior
read the full article in spanish on letras libres
read the full article in spanish on la jornada
laboratorio arte alameda presents el verano que nunca fue
Carlos Amorales, Gabriel Orozco, Damián Ortega, and Minerva Cuevas are participating in the exhibition "cien del MUAC".
Siembra's flexible and porous ecosystem expands during ZⓈONAMACO 2021 to welcome a multiplicity of voices from the community.
kurimanzutto is proud to announce the group exhibition: Normal Exceptions: Contemporary Art in Mexico in Museo Jumex in which Abraham Cruzvillegas, Daniel Guzmán, Damián Ortega, Eduardo Abaroa, Gabriel Kuri, Gabriel Orozco, Iñaki Bonillas, and Miguel Calderón participate.
kurimanzutto is proud to participate in Art Basel OVR: Miami Beach 2020 featuring a selection of works by: Gabriel Orozco, Nairy Baghramian, Haegue Yang, Jimmie Durham, Damián Ortega, Abraham Cruzvillegas, Carlos Amorales, Roberto Gil de Montes, Wilfredo Prieto, Miguel Calderón.
MOCA’s online platform for experimental film and video art will highlight the work of Mexican artist Damián Ortega with SCREEN: Damián Ortega’s Moby Dick.
On the Razor’s Edge is an international exhibition that brings together works within four thematic sections: migration and liberty; the human body; its environment; and the irrepressible and forever incomplete passage of time.
Damián Ortega talks with Jesús Pacheco from Radionopal about his piece Gorilla Building, one of the sculptures from his series Estridentópolis.
From September 2018, Garage Square will be occupied by a newly commissioned, large-scale installation by Damián Ortega.
The 12th Gwangju Biennale’s Imagined Borders is a guiding concept that responds to the current times of change and uncertainty by recognizing the limits of grand narratives, singular authorship and the necessity to return to the complexities of multiple voices and perspectives. Seven exhibitions, spread across the city at the Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall, the Asia Culture Center, and other historical sites, will present responses to the imagination of borders—as historical and real, experiential and abstract, imaginary and transgressive.
Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale is one of the most important art festivals in the world and is held every three years in the Echigo-Tsumari region since 2000. Over the years the triennial has taken place in a rural area that expresses human coexistence with nature. The region currently suffers a rapid aging and depopulation due to globalization, so Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale aims for international artists to develop projects using art as a catalyst for rural values to revitalize the region.
As part of its series of new digital initiatives, the New Museum presents Bedtime Stories, a project initiated by the artist Maurizio Cattelan in which different artists are invited to read a selection from their favorite book.
