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