Más allá de las estrellas / Beyond the stars
Paintings by Renzo Ortega
Opening Reception: Friday August 10th, 2018
From 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Exhibition on display in the Nicholson Gallery and ArtsCenter Corridor from August 1st – 31st.
This exhibition is supported by the Orange County Arts Commission Artist Project Grant.
ARTIST STATEMENT:
“I will show in The Nicholson Gallery at The Artscenter in Carrboro new work from the Southern Series, that is a painting project I have been working since I relocated to Carrboro in the fall of 2016. This series represents the issues that low-income families confront, such a housing crisis, health insurance, discrimination, displacements, and the hopeful efforts to improve their quality of life. I am painting this series because my journey is similar to the experience of many people that came to this country. Being an active community member make us part of the Country’s economy and culture. Painting it is strongly related to our identity, for this reason as a Peruvian artist working in The United States I want to continue with the legacy of the WPA artists that during the Great Depression expressed in their work the life of the people. Our current times are similar and I believe that my paintings will contribute with a message of hope and a statement that we are building culture. Art expressions are crucial, art sets out cultural models in a continuous renovation. Our identity is the fusion, our art expressions are not a characteristic of the immigrant nostalgia. We are a living culture and my painting project is about that. Along with the works from The Southern Series I will show in The ArtsCenter’s Corridor Gallery selected works made in New York City.
In addition I am planning a guided tour/artist talk of the exhibition (date to confirm). Having a conversation and answering questions about my painting process. The effectiveness of this project is evaluated based in the capability to have my work accessible for viewing. Art made by people from our community has to be seen, for this reason, The ArtsCenter Galleries are a tool and an opportunity for the effectiveness of the project.”
Renzo Ortega (Lima, Perú, 1974) is an Immigrant Peruvian-American artist. He studied at the National School of Fine Arts (E.N.S.A.B.A.P.) in Lima, Perú, at the Arts Students League of New York and holds an MFA in painting from Hunter College, New York. His work has been exhibited in Museums, art spaces and galleries in the USA and Perú. Renzo lived and worked in New York for over sixteen years, and in the fall of 2016 he relocated to Carrboro, North Carolina. In the spring of 2018 he was a Visiting Lecturer at UNC Chapel Hill, and currently works and teaches drawing and painting at The ArtsCenter in Carrboro.
