Mauricio Ortiz
Born in El Savador. Raised in Costa Rica. Born again in London.
Butterflies & Moths
Ancient Egyptians saw a parallel between the linen wrappings of their mummies and the butterfly's chrysalis - a term derived from the Greek world for gold.
In Aztec tradition butterflies and moths were a symbol of reincarnation, new life and immortality. Even in death, their mounted beauty can remain intact for centuries.
Butterflies and moths can be collected without pinning them to a board...
Fruits of the Tropics
Upon closer inspection, old weathered coconuts partially hacked open with a machete are curiously similar to the aerial view of a volcanic crater. The central perforation also resembles a dilated pupil surrounded by iris-like pulp as in a human eye. At other times, the mouth seems to emit a musical tone...
Sea Shells
The unique whorls of shells are directed clockwise in perfect synchronization with universal harmony and are said to contain the primordial sound of creation.
Ortiz dramatically upscales these small but perfectly formed natural sculptures allowing us to see their incredible beauty more easily.
Animalia & Aquariana
Natural History. Remixed. The animal world has always been a facination for Ortiz. A jungle-boy at heart, his Mowgli-esque curiosity for all life forms has gone way beyond merely reproducing what can be seen in the natural world. The imagination of Ortiz has given us a series of fantastical creatures that only exist in his personal parallel universe.
Birds
Having grown up in Central America, Ortiz was surrounded by the colours and calls of countless tropical birds. He kept a pet parrot in Costa Rica and has always been attracted to and by birds, resulting in an ongoing series of paintings. Somewhere between serious scientific studies and flights of fancy, Ortiz manages to avoid the trap of 'bird painting'.
Orbs
Sexy Spheres. Seducers from space. Reducing something of planetary proportions to a canvas-sized curiosity allows the viewer to own and touch something that is normally beyond our reach. Ortiz has 'played God' with scale in many of his paintings - sometimes decreasing, sometimes increasing (see his shells) the size of familiar but intangible objects to a more manageable, human-appropriate state. Diminished in size, but certainly not in beauty, these enormous celestial bodies are transformed into precious jewels that can be collected, treasured and displayed for everyone's pleasure.
People and Objects
Portraits, Self Portraits and Still Lifes
In Situ
The best way to imagine how your new art would look at home is to see some images of it 'in situ'. Have a look at these gorgeous paintings by Mauricio in real home settings...
A bit of history...
Born in 1963, El Salvador...
SOLO SHOWS
2011 NATUZZI, LONDON, Naturalia
2010 UNION CLUB, LONDON, Artist in Residence
2009 MUSEUM OF LONDON, LONDON, West India Quay Arts Festival
2006 PALL MALL DEPOSIT, LONDON, Curio
1997 PAUL SMITH, LONDON, Extinction
1996 LEVI STRAUSS FLAGSHIP STORE, LONDON, Mauricio Ortiz
1995 FREEDOM BAR, LONDON, Animalia (collaboration with Roland Mouret)
1995 DELFINA, LONDON, 1963
1990 JACOB KARPIO GALLERY, COSTA RICA, Mauricio Ortiz
1988 NATIONAL THEATRE OF COSTA RICA, Mauricio Ortiz
1986 NATIONAL THEATRE OF COSTA RICA, Mauricio Ortiz
SELECTED GROUP SHOWS
2015 DARREN BAKER GALLERY, LONDON, Spectrum of Colour
2014 CLARENDON FINE ART, LONDON, Modern Masters
2014 AFFORDABLE ART FAIR, SINGAPORE (Eyestorm Gallery)
2013 CLARENDON FINE ART, LONDON, Best of British
2012 CLARENDON FINE ART, LONDON, Best of British
2010 CHRISTIES, LONDON, Multiplied Art Fair (Eyestorm Gallery)
2010 THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF ART, LONDON, Original London Print Fair (Eyestorm)
2010 LOND ART FAIR, LONDON (Eyestorm Gallery)
2009 SCOPE MIAMI ART SHOW, MIAMI (Eyestorm Gallery)
2009 HAUNCH OF VENISON, LONDON, House of Cards
2008 AFFORDABLE ART FAIR, NEW YORK (Eyestorm Gallery)
2007 EYESTORM GALLERY, LONDON, Winter Wonderland
2007 OPUS ART, NEWCASTLE, Naturisms
2007 OPUS ART, NEWCASTLE, Inspire
2007 GIBSON GUITAR TOWN, LONDON (Gibson Guitars / The Prince's Trust)
2007 THE LONDON ORIGINAL PRINT FAIR, LONDON (Rebecca Hossack Gallery)
2007 OPUS INTERIORS, NEWCASTLE, Opus Art Gallery Launch Show
2005 WORKPLACE ART GALLERY, LONDON, The Analogue Surface
2004 AFFORDABLE ART FAIR, LONDON, A. Ciancimino Gallery
2004 ART LONDON, LONDON (Eyestorm / Britart)
2004 RED BOX GALLERY, NEWCASTLE, Beauty In Nature
2003 COMMONWEALTH INSTITUTE, LONDON, Urban Interiors
2003 SELFRIDGES, LONDON (BRITART) (main window installation)
2002 JERWOOD SPACE, LONDON, Art for Living
2001 A.CIANCIMINO, SPAIN, (ongoing showroom display)
1998 BONHAMS, LONDON, Futures: The Antiques of Tomorrow
1996 CONNAUGHT BROWN FINE ART, LONDON, Affordable Art Company
1993 MERZ CONTEMPORARY ART, LONDON, Paintings
1991 ART LONDON '91, LONDON, Delfina Artists Show
1990 SMITHS GALLERY, LONDON, Paintings
1989 JACOB KARPIO GALLERY, SAN JOSE COSTA RICA, Paradigm
AWARDS and PRIZES
2009 WINNER of METRO / SHELTER House of Cards DESIGN COMPETITION, LONDON
2005 ARTS COUNCIL OF ENGLAND GRANT, LONDON
1992 DELFINA’S MANILVA RESIDENCY, SPAIN
1993 DELFINA STUDIO TRUST RESIDENCY, LONDON
1992 DELFINA STUDIO TRUST RESIDENCY, LONDON
1991 DELFINA STUDIO TRUST RESIDENCY, LONDON
1990 DELFINA STUDIO TRUST RESIDENCY, LONDON
1987 SPANISH MINISTRY OF CULTURE TRAVEL FELLOWSHIP, SPAIN
1986 SPANISH MINISTRY OF CULTURE TRAVEL FELLOWSHIP, SPAIN