Sept. 29, 2009 : Artist Damian Ortega

>> WHEN WE CONTINUE, JARED

BOWEN WITH THE I. C. A.'S

LATEST EXHIBIT.

ONE OF THE MOST ACCLAIMED

ARTISTS ON THE CON TAEM

PRIMARY KEEN HAS JUST RECEIVED

HIS FIRST MUSEUM SHOW RIGHT

HERE AT THE INSTITUTE OF

CONTEMPORARY ART.

JARED BOWEN LEADS US THROUGH

THE VERY DIFFERENT VIEWPOINT

OF DAMIAN ORTEGA.

>> SEEING THINGS NOT QUITE

RIGHT, NOT IN THE NATURAL

ORDER.

SOLIDS SUDDENLY NOT SO.

THIS IS THE PERSPECTIVE OF

ARTIST DAMIAN ORTEGA.

>> I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS

REALLY YOUNG PLAYING WITH THE

OBJECTS, PLAYING WITH THE

OBJECTS TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS

INSIDE.

>> HE'S ALURING, NOT ON THIS

PLAIN PERSPECTIVE IS NOW ON

EXHIBIT AND THE NEW SHOW

TITLED "DO IT YOURSELF."

>> ORTEGA TAKES THINGS THAT

ARE VERY FAMILIAR TO ALL OF US

AND REALLY LOOK AT THEM IN A

DIFFERENT WAY, AND IN HIS OWN

WAY.

AND AS HE TAKES THEM APART OR

SCRUTINIZES THEM OR

REASSEMBLES THEM IN WAYS YOU

MIGHT NOT HAVE THOUGHT OF

BECAUSE THEY'RE THINGS THAT

ARE SO FAMILIAR TO YOU.

>> MORE SIGNIFICANTLY,

FAMILIAR TO HIM.

PART OF A GENERATION OF

PROMINENT MEXICAN ARTISTS WHO

EMERGED IN THE LATE 80s AND

90s, ORTEGA LEVELS HIS UNUSUAL

PERSPECTIVE ON WHAT HE KNOWS

BEST.

WHETHER IT'S FINDING THE

ARCHITECTURE IN TORTILLA CHIPS,

DEKRUKING A VOLKSWAGEN BEAT

EGG OR FINDING A SCULPT ARE

THE IN HIS OWN HOME.

>> HIS SENSE OF VOLUME AND OF

THE WAYS THINGS REACT TO EACH

OTHER IN SPACE IS VERY

IMPORTANT TO TAKE THESE

OBJECTS IN YOUR HOUSE AS AN

EXPERIMENT IN BALANCE.

AND REALLY IN THE FORCES OF

GRAVITY AND NATURE, PILE THEM

UP, TIE THEM TOGETHER WITH

SIMPLE STRING, SEE HOW FAR ONE

CAN EXTEND BEFORE EVERYTHING

FALLS, WHAT HAS TO GO ON THE

OTHER SIDE TO CATCH IT.

JUST A PLAYFUL QUALITY OF

REARRANGING THE FURNITURE.

>> WITH EQUAL FASCINATION HE

PERVERTS A GLASS BOTTLE IN

DIFFERENT VARIATIONS.

>> THIS IS THE KEY FOR THE

FORM OF AN OBJECT, TO MAKE FUN

OF THEM OR MAKE A JOKE WITH

THEM.

>> HIS BACKGROUND AS A

POLITICAL CARTOONIST SURFACES.

HIS PEACE PEACHING OIL BARRELS

TEETERING PEAKS FOR ITSELF.

$1 HYUNDAI IT IS A FOOD PER

DIEM HE ONCE RECEIVED, NEVER

SPENT AND LAID OUT IN PENNIES.

ONE OF HIS PERSONAL FAVORITE

IS TIRED PICK AX.

>> AT THE END I DID SOME JOKE

ABOUT MAKING IT RELAX, MAKE IT

LIKE NOT SO POWERFUL, MAYBE

TIRE, MAYBE BORING.

>> THIS IS THE FIRST EVER

MUSEUM SURVEY FOR ORTEGA.

A FULL BREADth OF HIS VISION

THAT REACHES ITS MOST

ABSORBING DEPTH WITH HIS

PHOTOGRAPHS CAPTURING HOME

WHERE IS THE OWNERS HAVE PILED

BRICKS TO ONE DAY BE USED FOR

EXPANSION.

>> THESE WERE THESE INCREDIBLE

REPOSITORYS OF PEOPLE'S HOPES

AND DREAMS.

SO HE CALLS IT RESTING MATTER.

WITH THIS SENSE OF ENERGY NOT

YET REALIZED.

>> IT'S THE SKILL OF DAMIAN

ORTEGA TO VACILLATE FROM THE

INTELLECTUAL TO THE HUMOROUS

WITH THE MOST VISIBLE WINK.

>> WHEN I LOOK AT THINGS LIKE

THIS, I THINK THEY CAN ONLY

REALLY BE IN AN EXHIBIT IN A

MUSEUM.

ARE HEY FOR SALE, CAN YOU BUY

A PIECE?

>> THAT MUCH I DON'T KNOW.

I KNOW THAT THIS BELONGS TO

THE MUSEUM BECAUSE I THINK

IT'S A GREAT COMPLIMENT TO

WHAT THE I. C. A. DID ABOUT A

YEAR AGO WITH ANISH KAPUR

FORCED YOU TO HAVE A DIFFERENT

PERCEPTION BECAUSE HE BUILT

PYRAMIDS OUT OF DUST.

WHERE ORTEGA IS LEADING YOU IN

A DIFFERENT PERCEPTION.

YOU ARE TO READ THE WALL TEXT

TO UNDERSTAND THE VIBRANCY OF

THOSE CHAIRS ALL STACKED

TOGETHER.

ONCE YOU UNDER HIS INTENT

THERE TAKING HIS FURNITURE AND

PUTTING --

>> HE TELLS YOU WHAT'S BEHIND

IT?

>> THE CURATORS THERE ARE

GREAT WALL TEXTS, AND ONCE YOU

UNDERSTAND THAT THEN YOU CAN

NAVIGATE THE EXHIBIT AND

UNDERSTAND HIS PHILOSOPHY.

>> THE ONE I DIDN'T GET WERE

THE LEATHER ONES.

>> ACTUALLY THAT'S CALLED

SKINS, AND I LOVED THAT PIECE

BECAUSE IT'S RETONGUE AND

CHEEK.

HERE HE'S TAKING WHAT'S

SUPPOSED TO BE THESE UTOPIAN

BUILDINGS IN BERLIN, I THITS

IT IT'S A MIX OF BERLIN AND

MEXICO, AND TO SCALE HE LAYS

OUT THESE BLUEPRINTS AND

STRINGS THEM UP AND THEY'RE

THANKING --

HANGING THERE LIMPLY.

AND I THINK IT'S HILARIOUS

THAT THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE

THESE SOLID BUILDINGS, AND NOW

THEY'RE ALL JUST HANGING

BEFORE YOU.

>> THE ONE YOU SAID YOU WITHIN

QUITE SURE OF WAS THE DOLLAR A

DAY?

>> THAT'S THE, YEAH, THE

PENNIES THAT HE TRUNK OUT.

THAT ONE I COULDN'T

NECESSARILY FOLLOW.

BUT I REALLY LOVED THE BOTTLES

TOO.

HE'S INSPIRE BID THE 120 DAYS

OF SOLEMN BY THE MARQUIS

DESADE.

IT'S ONE IMAGE AND HOW MANY

WAY US YOU CAN KISS TORT THAT

ONE BOTTLE --

DISTORT THAT ONE BOTTLE.

>> WHATEVER IT WAS, HIS FOOD

OR WHATEVER, HE LIKED TO CAN

YOU THINGS OPEN AND HE WHAT

WAS INSIDE.

>> WHICH IS FASCINATING,

BECAUSE I THINK WE ALL DO.

AND YOU GET IN TROUBLE FOR

DOING THAT, TAKING PARGT YOUR

ALARM CLOCK OR SOMETHING, BUT

THAT STUCK WITH HIM.

WOULDN'T --

AND THAT WAS HIS CAR IN MEXICO,

TO TAKE APART YOUR CAR AND

STRING IT LIKE THAT AND SEE IT

ALL PULLED APART.

IT'S HUNG FROM WIRES.

SO WHAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE A

VERY SOLID OBJECT IS STRUNG

OUT.

AND HIS OTHER POINTING, IN

MEXICO CITY THEY'RE TAXIS AND

THEY CAN WORK IN OTHER PARTS.

>> LOOKS REALLY GOOD.

DAMIAN ORTEGA.

YAR ED BOWEN, THANKS.

THAT IS IT FOR "GREATER

BOSTON".

TO CATCH A PAST SEGMENT OR FOR

MORE INFORMATION, LOG ONTO OUR

WEBSITE AT GREATERBOSTON.ORG.

TOMORROW NIGHT AN IRANIAN

WOMAN'S TALE OF IMPRISONMENT

IN IRAN.

PLUS THE PHENOMENON THAT IS

DAN BROWN, THE HUB UNOVER HIS

LATEST NOVEL.

I'M EMILY ROONEY.

GOOD NIGHT.

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