News — Studio Orta

Studio Orta - Green Platform

Green Platform

Curated by Valentina Gensini and Lorenzo Giusti, the exhibition will be adopting a complex critical view based on an interdisciplinary approach to the issue of the environment, in the dual sense of a crisis in our thermo-industrial society based on non-renewable sources of energy and of an ecological crisis caused by pollution and by the worrying overheating of our planet. Thus the problem of ecology will not be explored merely in terms of an environmental approach. It will be analysed in its myriad philosophical, psychological, environmental, economic and social implications. That way ecology can become not only the science of nature but an inter-relational science, a border and cross-border science, the link between nature and culture.

Studio Orta - OrtaWater

OrtaWater

The Paris-based artist couple Lucy + Jorge Orta will create a unique art project for DSM based on the DSM Triple P Report 2009, DSM’s sustainability report. The project will be ready in March 2010, and will be presented during the launch of DSM’s 2009 sustainability report. DSM announced this during the launch of Triple P Report 2008. The launch was combined with the opening of an exhibition by Lucy + Jorge Orta in DSM’s offices in Heerlen and Sittard (the Netherlands). In the head office in Heerlen the artists present their project ‘ OrtaWater’ which focuses on the worldwide shortage of water. In the Sittard office their ‘Antarctica Village – No Borders’ project is exhibited which draws attention to the current climate of migration and the refugee status in which many people throughout the world find themselves. The exhibits are open until 2 June during office hours. It is the first time that the artist couple Orta will create an art project based on the sustainability drive and achievements of a company. DSM and Lucy and Jorge Orta share the same focus on the real issues confronting our world, which involve securing sustainable energy supplies, combating climate change and providing balanced food supplies and health for the global population. The Orta’s will base their project on the four global trends upon which DSM has based its business and sustainability strategy: Climate and Energy, Health and Wellness, Functionality and Performance and Emerging Economies.

Studio Orta - Peace Summit Award 2008

Peace Summit Award 2008

9th WORLD SUMMIT OF NOBEL PEACE LAUREATES, Paris 11-13 December 2008"Human rights and a World without violence". Each year the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates honour with the Peace Summit Award personalities selected within the culture and entertainment business who stand out in the defence of human rights and in the diffusion of the principles of Peace and solidarity in the world. During the ceremony at the Hotel de Ville in Paris, Bono was awarded Window on the World Antarctica by artists Lucy + Jorge Orta, depicting an image of the Antarctic continent from their series Antarctic Village No Borders symbolising a world free from violence. Courtesy of Galleria Continua.The Nobel Peace Laureates draw public attention to the young generation and nonviolence it is of utmost importance to turn our eyes to the problems of Human Rights. Without such rights violence, poverty, lack of resources will thrive and will impede us to ensure a future of a long-lasting peace throughout the planet Earth.The 9th Summit proposes to touch upon the following questions: how can we build peace through the safeguard of human rights, what are the strategies to affirm the universalism of the fundamental rights, how to ensure the defence of individual rights in today’s world, how to foster the establishment of the democratic values worldwide and finally, how to make rights concrete by eliminating social and financial inequalities among people in our societies. The Summit will represent an opportunity for the Nobel Peace Laureates to elaborate strategies of international policies, which shall be implemented to ensure a real observance of the principles, reflected in the Declaration. http://www.nobelforpeace-summits.org/

Studio Orta - 70 x 7 The Meal act XXIX

70 x 7 The Meal act XXIX

70 x 7 The Meal act XXIX at the historical Savoy palace, Venaria Reale is the first collaboration with Fondazione Slow Food per la Biodiversità Onlus. The theme chosen by the artists for the 29th setting is food biodiversity with the aim to support the project Cooperativa Cauqueva (Cooperativa Agropecuaria y Artesanal Union Quebrada y Valles) and to protect the production of the precious Andean potato, the fundamental food and financial resource for the Argentine population. 150 guests participated in the Orta performance based on the preparation of the most basic of dishes, the Soup. “The soup is universal, across all socio-economic groups with different staple origins and wonderful colours: green vegetable, black bean, red tomato, orange pumpkin, white garlic and onion, …”. Each guest was given a calico bag filled with vegetables that had been prepared live, to take home and prepare a soup. The Limoges porcelain plate edition designed especially for the occasion celebrated the theme by depicting delicately drawn vegetables and a recipe for the potato soup. The menu was created by Turin’s most promising chef Alfredo Russo, from Dolce Stil Novo restaurant at the Venaria Reale, taking his inspiration from the plate: “The soup is the common denominator, a sustainable dish which brings together populations and cultures of every continents. From the main course to the dessert I will utilise ingredients so called ‘poor’ – although I prefer to call them ‘democratic’ – like the potato and vegetable in order to give a contribution, in terms of cooking, to the theme of the event”. Curated by Maria Perosino and Bartolomeo Pietromarchi

Studio Orta - Survival

Survival

The Fashion Space Gallery at London College of Fashion, the UK’s leading provider of fashion education, will this autumn present Survival, by international artist Lucy Orta. This exhibition which will showcase work never displayed in the UK, on the theme of survival, including Urban Life Guard and Survival Kits from the Antarctica project, which was originally presented in the transient landscape of the Antarctic ice-caps as part of the inaugural End of the World Biennale, 2007.During the course of her research as Professor of Art, Fashion and the Environment at London College of Fashion, Lucy has created thought provoking objects that take on the form of life jackets, parachutes and metaphoric garments using the surface of the fabrics for textual communication, with slogans and graphics related to her themes of research.The core of Lucy Orta’s working practice focuses on the human condition in an era of global crisis through themes of shelter, war, water shortage, migration, economic and environmental disasters. She responds to contexts in which social structures are not capable of protecting individuals, and has advanced proposals that can offer self-sufficiency and protection for the human body.

Studio Orta - Body Architecture

Body Architecture

The Swedish Museum of Architecture and Svensk Form (the Swedish Societyof Crafts and Design) jointly present a selection of works by the artisticpartnership of Lucy + Jorge Orta at the Swedish Museum of Architecture.The artistic duo has a strong social commitment, which is reflected in theirprojects. A number of their works focus on the connection between mankindand the survival of our planet, depicted through textile and architectonicsolutions. Among other things, they created ”Dome Architectures” in theform of a temporary settlement for Antarctica.The duo develop their artworks by posing various questions:How can art pave a new critical role faced with the growing problems in this world?What can architects and artists contribute towards the development ofmore humane, environmentally suitable and ecological forms of architecture?How can art projects contribute to and participate in a constructive dialogueand improve conditions for the less privileged members of our society?

Studio Orta - 1% Water and our future

1% Water and our future

1% WATER aims to be a catalyst for change, reconnecting us physically and psychologically to water and helping us to shape a sustainable future. The exhibition explores themes such as AbUse, Sacred Waters and Reconnect through works by artists such as Atelier van Lieshout, Brandon Ballengée, Elina Brotherus, Edward Burtynsky, Amy Jenkins, Michaela Nettell and Studio Orta, designers such as &Made, Doshi Levien and Fulguro & TJAW and graphic designers Karlssonwilker, as well as key historic pieces.

Studio Orta - Antarctica

Antarctica

Antarctica is an itinerant exhibition curated by Bartolomeo Pietromarchi, which opened at the Hangar Bicocca Milan in April. It arose from an expedition made by the artists to Antarctica in 2007 following a commission from The End of the World Biennale. This journey, both real and symbolic, to the furthermost reaches of the world and to a protected ecosystem free from any military activity, enabled the artists to tackle issues regarding climate change and human survival in the severest of conditions.

The Antarctic Village is an embodiment of a symbolic community open to all human beings, a ‘nation of humanity’ and a peaceful land for those who have been forced to leave their home country as a result of economic or natural disasters, war or political intimidation. With Antarctic Village – No Borders, the artists propose a new clause Article 13.3, to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) that would guarantee the right of freedom of movement and circulation.

The exhibition at Galleria Continua / La Moulin is an occasion to reflect on alternative solutions for a fairer form of globalization, where resources, freedom of movement and human rights could be guaranteed for everyone. Also on show are previous works by the artists dealing with themes relating to the environment, global warming, society, human rights, humanitarian intervention and the mobility and migration of peoples.

Le Moulin private view followed by DJ party opens on Saturday 28 June from 6pm until midnight.Navettes leave Paris at 5pm from Jardin des Plantes and return at 1am. For advanced bookings please contact: lemoulin@galleriacontinua.com. Galleria Continua / Le Moulin, 46 rue de la Ferté Gaucher, 77169 Boissy-le-Châtel

Studio Orta - OrtaWater

OrtaWater

OrtaWater focuses on the general scarcity of water and issues surrounding the privatization and corporate control effecting access to clean water. Reflecting on ‘Operational Aesthetics’, the overarching aim of their artistic process is to contribute proactively to the broadening of our understanding and development of sustainable solutions for the water dilemmas ahead in playful and accessible manners. The artists create sculptures combining functional source-based objects, photography, steel welding, sound and objects related to the water problematic. The work commissioned by the Austrian Pavilion of the International Expo 2008 Zaragoza is entitled ‘OrtaWater Zillie Fluvial Unit’. It incorporates the traditional Zillie canoe form the mountain regions of Austria, with an organic steel structure which forms a ‘bottle rack for hundreds of bottles of water collected from destinations around the world.OrtaWater was the focus of major survey exhibitions at the Hangar Biccoca contemporary art centre in Milan (2008); the Venice Biennale and Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen Rotterdam (2005) and the Galleria Continua Beijing (2006).‘OrtaWater’ received an ‘Award for Sculpture’ that combines artistic excellence with an environmental message, presented by the United Nations Environment Programme at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo 2007.

Studio Orta - Carried Away Procession in Art

Carried Away Procession in Art

The Arnhem Museum of Modern Art will be participating in the annual procession Sonsbeek where citizens carry thirty artworks through the streets and it is an occasion for the MMKA to study the phenomenon of civic rituals. How have 20th- and 21st-century artists adopted and used procession in their work and why have they chosen this form? If one examines art history, one will find an explosion of processions in the 1910-20s, ’60-70s, and ‘90s. The exhibition explores a number of related developments through a sociological approach such as an increasing feeling of emptiness and disorientation due to secularization, individualism and a lack of symbols and rituals. Particular attention is paid to the problems of the supposed neutrality of the street, to interactivity and shared authorship, and to the possibility of conveying the experience of the procession through documentation.but also in society.Artists participating include: Francis Alÿs, Gijs Assmann, Joseph Beuys, Günter Brus, Daniel Buren, James Lee Byars, James Ensor, Yvonne Dröge Wendel, Meschac Gaba, George Grosz, Thomas Hirschhorn, Allan Kaprow, William Kentridge, Fransje Killaars, Daniel Martinez, Begoña Munoz, Lucy Orta, Francis Picabia, Roger Raveel, Vladimir Tatlin, Jean Tinguely, Endre Tót, Stephen Wilks

Studio Orta - Antarctica

Antarctica

In the spring of 2007, Lucy + Jorge Orta went on an expedition to Antarctica as part of an artistic project on this frozen continent. It was both a real and a symbolic journey to the edge of the world, living in an extreme environment under the severest survival conditions. The Antarctica exhibition in the Hangar Bicocca, curated by Bartolomeo Pietromarchi, represents the first complete and organic public showing of the artworks created by the artists as a result of their unique experience in Antarctica. The exhibition is also an occasion for presenting other major works created by Lucy + Jorge Orta over the last five years, addressing social, environmental and humanitarian issues: mobility, population migration, climate and environmental crises, and human rights. On exhibition are the emblematic dome architectures that composed the Antarctic Village actually installed in Antarctica as well as 'Drop Parachutes', 'Survival Kits' and the video projection of their expedition. Antarctic Village – No Borders is a symbol for those who will do anything cross borders in their search for refuge from the social and political conflicts in their home country. Off limits to military activity and protected as an ecosystem, the Antarctic contains 70% of the planet’s fresh water reserves. Antarctic Village thus becomes the emblem of a future in which true globalisation will mean a more equitable redistribution of resources and the right to exist for the people of the world.

Studio Orta - Antarctic Village - 13:3

Antarctic Village - 13:3

Antarctic Village – No Borders was first developed in the early 1990’s by Lucy + Jorge Orta as a Utopian endeavour through which the artists could consider the current climate of migration and the refugee status in which many people throughout the world find themselves. The Antarctic continent is a neutral territory free of conflict as decreed by the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, a place where women and men, displaced from their native homelands for economical, social or political reasons, can find peaceful refuge. Drawn upon their research, Lucy + Jorge Orta are developing a symbolic ‘Antarctic Passport’ to create a discussion platform for human rights, and for world citizens to move freely across territories and borders. The bearer of the Antarctic nationality could see their human rights recognized and respected as the passport includes a modification of Article 13 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Article 13:3 Every human being has the right to move freely and cross frontiers to their chosen territory. Individuals should not be deemed of an inferior status to that of capital, trade, telecommunication and pollution, all of which have no boundaries.

Studio Orta - 70 x 7 The Meal act XXVIII

70 x 7 The Meal act XXVIII

The Natural World Museum and the United Nations Environment Programme joined forces to make an innovative contribution to the world through the 'Art for the Environment' initiative. This ongoing initiative is designed to utilize the universal language of art as a catalyst to unite people in action and thought, and to empower individuals, communities, and leaders to focus on environmental values across social, economic, and political realms. The Orta's '70 x 7 The Meal act XXVIII' will take place in the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild during a special dinner bringing together people from around the globe who are avid supporters of the arts, environment, and education, with a specific interest in Climate Change.

Studio Orta - Antarctic Village - Works in Progress

Antarctic Village - Works in Progress

The artists second solo exhibition at Motive Gallery comprises a focus on the artists’ new work, presenting two projects that relate to two issues of great topical pertinence: Antarctic Village, which explores the notion of migration, territory and borders; and Fallujah, about the war atrocities in Iraq. 'Antarctic Village - No Borders' consists of the remnants of the artists' ephemeral village actually installed in Antarctica during Spring 2007. Their emblematic Dome Architectures and Drop-Parachutes bear hundreds of national flags and silkscreen inscriptions of a new amendment to the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights: 13:3. This ambitious work-in-progress will also be the subject of an important exhibition at Hanger spazio d'arte in Milan commencing 8th April 2008.Warfare and its after-effects have always underlain the artistic endeavours of the artists. 'Fallujah', borrows its name from the Iraqi city, which in 2003 came to epitomize the violent fate of humanity in the face of military omnipotence - in this case, that of the American and allied powers during the invasion of Iraq. In the installation especially designed for the gallery, Lucy + Jorge Orta gather sculptures and wall drawings that form part of their attempt at providing a counter-memory of the Siege of Fallujah - one that draws attention towards its atrocities and the role of the media in shaping its official history.

Studio Orta - Shelter / Survival - alternative homes for fantastic lives

Shelter / Survival - alternative homes for fantastic lives

The group exhibition ‘Shelter / Survival - alternative homes for fantastic lives’, held at the Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, explores concepts of shelter in art and design, alternative homes and sites in creative interpretations of survival. As tools for surviving a wide-range of potential perils, the exhibits transcend genre in their quest to expand the creative potential of art. Body Architecture and Refuge Wear, the work of Lucy Orta, appears particularly significant within the context of this ‘global’ need to find new and alternative solutions for emerging social issues which cross all boundaries and which connect with the aims and objectives of contemporary artists working with different media. Orta’s work blurs the practices of architecture and fashion: a dress to live in and a house to dress. The inhabitants are protected from the world in a minimum space for reflection and meditation; they become enveloped in a safe and protected space, a four-dimensional universe, multifunctional and mobile. The artist first developed the Refuge Wear series throughout the 1990s at a time of economic decline provoked by the conflicts in Iraq, the Balkans and Rwanda, and the plight of the millions of refugees fleeing their homes. Orta also spent several years working with refugee and homeless communities, developing projects to communicate their issues to a wider public. This work reflects the base of Professor Orta’s research at the University of the Arts London, as newly appointed Professor of Art, Fashion and the Environment at London College of Fashion. Her transversal approach to the artistic practice is a way of calling into question fashion, design, architecture, theatre, urban planning and visual arts. A shared territory for ethics and aesthetics with a strong role played by the emerging social themes of our times.

Studio Orta - Antarctic Village - No Borders

Antarctic Village - No Borders

The work of the artists, an ongoing dialogue between ethics and aesthetics, investigates various crucial themes facing the world today: community and the social fabric, dwelling and the habitat, nomadism and mobility, sustainable development, ecology and recycling. In their working practice the Ortas also distinguish themselves as skilled mediators, interventionists, provocateurs, activists, campaigners, persuaders, interlocutors, teachers, conservationists, and much more. The exhibition at the Galleria Continua comprises a cross-section of the artists’ work over the last year, presenting three projects that relate to three distinct issues of great topical pertinence: Orta Water, which is about the impending water crisis; Fallujah, about the war atrocities in Iraq; and Antarctic Village, which explores the notion of migration, territory and borders. Antarctic Village - No Borders will occupy the large stalls area of the former cinema and consists of a village of dome architectures and drop-parachutes bearing hundreds of national flags and silkscreen reproductions of a new ammendment to the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights: 13:3, an ambitious work-in-progress that the artists have been engaged on since the beginning of the 90s and which involved the installation of a temporary metaphoric village in Antarctica.

Studio Orta - OrtaWater

OrtaWater

Originally co-commissioned and exhibited by Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa for the 2005 Venice Biennale, and Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen Rotterdam 2006 the body of work OrtaWater focuses on the general scarcity of water and issues surrounding the privatization and corporate control effecting access to clean water. Starting from a rigorous analysis of this crucial resource through visual and text research, Lucy + Jorge Orta develop poetic artefacts, sculptures, large-scale installations and public artworks that evoke the water cycle. Presented here for the first time in France is a selection of their works and new preparatory drawings.

Studio Orta - Urban Life Guard

Urban Life Guard

Since it was founded in 1990 in San Gimignano, in the heart of Tuscany (Italy), the Galleria Continua has supported artists who dialogue and exchange between unusual, rural, industrial, local and global geographies, the art of the recent past and that of today. The Galleria Continua has now embarked upon a new adventure, establishing near Paris a new space dedicated to contemporary art. Every season, in the former paper mill of the rural village of Boissy-le-Châtel, over 2 hectares of land on the banks of the Morin river, Galleria Continua / Le Moulin will play host to exceptional international-level artistic gatherings, providing a showcase for ambitious works by artists from five continents. For the inaugural exhibition the artists work on exhibition and special commissions are: Ai Weiwei, Daniel Buren, Loris Cecchini, Chen Zhen, Berlinde De Bruyckere, Carlos Garaicoa, Kendell Geers, Subodh Gupta, Mona Hatoum, Ilya Kabakov, Anish Kapoor, Jorge Macchi, Sabrina Mezzaqui, Hans Op de Beeck, Lucy + Jorge Orta, Luca Pancrazzi, Bruno Peinado, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Serse, Nedko Solakov, Pascale Marthine Tayou, Yan Lei, Zheng Guogu and Zhuang Hui.

Studio Orta - Fallujah - works in progress

Fallujah - works in progress

Warfare and its after-effects have always underlain the artistic endeavours of the artists. 'Fallujah', one of their latest projects, borrows its name from the Iraqi city, which in 2003 came to epitomize the violent fate of humanity in the face of military omnipotence - in this case, that of the American and allied powers during the invasion of Iraq. In the installtion especially designed for the Motive Gallery (Amsterdam), Lucy + Jorge Orta gather varied sculptures and wall drawings that form part of their attempt at providing a counter-memory of the Siege of Fallujah - one that draws attention towards its atrocities and the role of the media in shaping its official history.

Studio Orta - Fallujah - Casey’s Pawns: Prague City

Fallujah - Casey’s Pawns: Prague City

‘Fallujah-Casey’s Pawns’ is a peace intervention for the city of Prague, commissioned and staged for the 11th Prague Quadriennale. This intervention builds upon research the artists Lucy + Jorge Orta have been persuing since 1991, at the out break of the 1st Gulf War and at the Victoria and Albert Museum in June 2004, just five days before the transfer of sovereignty in Iraq. Fallujah-Casey’s Pawns was originally created for the play ‘Fallujah’ written and directed by Jonathan Holmes and performed in London in association with the Institute of Contemporay Arts (May-June 2007). The ongoing Fallujah interventions are visual responses to the current situation in Iraq with a desire to communicate the consequences of the American led invaision to a wider public. The NGO Body Count has estimated that over 34,000 civilians were killed in Iraq in 2006 alone, 1,8 million have been driven from their homes and over 2 million have fled to other countries and this number is growing everyday. What has happended to the quarter of a million people whose livelihoods, homes and daily routines have been permanently and irrevocably changed through acts of violence in the name of Western democracy? How can we begin to understand the experience of living through an invasion, which transforms an urban environment and its surroundings so dramatically that an entire citizenship becomes a flock of refugees. “The more we hear the Truth, the more - The political manipulation, the media censorship, the desperation of medical staff, the horrors of combat, the voices of the citizens themselves. Orta 2007”

Previous6789Next