Paulina Ortiz is considered a fiber artist to some, a sculptor to others and a conceptual artist to yet others. Ortiz’s works seem to inhabit multiple domains: ancient, contemporary, organic, structural.
The raw beauty may at times seem aggressive, contained only by her masterful architecturally or biologically inspired compositions. “Her creations with vegetal elements appear like screaming wounded nature, yet beautiful,” says Pilar Tobon, textile art sculptor and critic, President of Women in Textile Art Organization.
Ortiz’s work may also have a shamanistic air to them, with mysterious shapes and symbols interwoven with natural elements of bright colors contrasting with earth tones and textures. Their timeless structures are simple and powerful, distilled shapes with an iconic presence that seduce and enchant, often alluding to ceremonies of antiquity. Weaving both literally and figuratively, Ortiz does indeed approach each piece as a ceremony: the collecting of the fiber and materials, the exacting process to prepare them, and the contemplative, intellectual and spiritual process of shaping their ultimate manifestations.
As pertinent to the prehistoric drawings at Gabillou Cave in the French Dordogne or the majestic garments of Montezuma, Paulina Ortiz’s works speak to the contemporary collector as timely testaments to our own era where humanity’s relationship to nature has never been more relevant. On an aesthetic level, Ortiz manages a bravado of balanced tension between the rudimentary, almost crude materials and the elegant compositions and sophisticated color palette. They are a poetic embodiment of the inseparable relationship between culture and nature.
More recently, Paulina Ortiz has produced an exciting new body of work incorporating computerized lighting on large scale installations, an example pictured below.
Works are currently available for viewing in Costa Rica and New York. To arrange a viewing or for additional information, please contact us at info@monteazulcr.com or by calling 646 478 7038.
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