Artist
Rubén Ortiz-Torres
Mexican, b. 1964
Rubén Ortiz-Torres is a Mexican artist. 1 work is cataloged here, principally at Museum of Modern Art.
Overview
Rubén Ortiz Torres is a contemporary artist born in Mexico. His work spans across photography, painting, sculpture, and video. Torres's art is best known for exploring themes like cultural identity and cross border exchange. He has exhibited internationally and is associated with transnational artistic practices.
Biography
Rubén Ortiz Torres was born in Mexico City, Mexico, on February 27, 1964. Earlier in his career, he studied visual arts at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. After studying in Mexico, Ortiz Torres later earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the California Institute of the Arts. His academic background shows the combination of Mexico and America, which will directly correlate to his theme of cross-border exchange. Ortiz Torres began gaining recognition in the late 20th century through various exhibitions that interacted with the issues of cultural exchange and identity. Over the course of his career, Ortiz Torres expanded his work across multiple forms of media, including video, photography, and installation. Along with his artistic career, he worked as a Professor at the University of California, San Diego, where he teaches in the visual arts department.
Artistic themes
Ortiz Torres's work focuses on global effects on society and the blending of cultural identities. He often analyzes how images, objects, and cultural symbols move across borders within his art. Torres sticks to his roots within his artwork, as he portrays a recurring theme of the relationship between Mexican and American culture. He particularly has shown this theme within urban and popular settings. Ortiz Torres has also written about themes of identity and globalization in his own work. He is also known for exploring the idea of "customization." This is where objects and identities are shaped by not only global influence, but individual expression as well. His work incorporates elements of popular culture, such as the lowrider car aesthetic. He also would include consumer goods and media imagery to reflect the ways that culture is constantly being reshaped. Instead of presenting a single perspective, Ortiz Torres's work highlights the complexity of the changing identities from global influence. His use of multiple modes of art allows him to explore themes in different visual and conceptual ways.
Career and exhibitions
Throughout his career, Ortiz Torres has been in exhibitions in the United States, Mexico, and other international locations. His work has been shown in galleries and museums that focus on contemporary and global art. His projects explore cross-cultural exchange and identity through photography, video, and installation. These projects add to greater conversations about migration and identity in contemporary art. Rubén Ortiz Torres also collaborated with many artists and filmmakers over the course of his career. These include, Jesse Lerner, Eduardo Abaroa, and Yoshua Okón, where they worked on projects that explore international culture and media. In addition to many artistic exhibitions, Torres has contributed to the academic field through his role as a Professor at the University of California, San Diego.
Film and video works
Ortiz Torres has made a wide range of experimental films and video works that examine identity and cultural exchange. His early work includes How to Read Macho Mouse (1991), The Fence (1991), and Custom Mambo (1992). Later works include, Frontierland (1995), Alien Toy (1997), and Backyard Boogie Woogie (2003). Other projects include La Ciudad Rota (1986) and El Bodhisattva (2002). Many of his projects were done in collaboration with other artists and show Torres's interest in multimedia experimentation.
Public collections
Ortiz Torres's work is held in numerous public art collections in the United States and internationally. These include:
Metropolitan Museum of Art Museum of Modern Art Tate Modern Los Angeles County Museum of Art Brooklyn Museum Reina Sofía National Art Center Museum Torres's work is also shown internationally in Mexico and Europe.
Education
National Autonomous University of Mexico, Visual Arts California Institute of the Arts, Master of Fine Arts Harvard University, School of Design
Collections represented
Museum
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