Featured Artist: Jonah Ortiz
About the Artist:
Since I was a child I have been interested in the arts. Though my particular tastes have changed throughout the years, my love of the process of creation has remained strong. I live for the moment of revelation and accomplishment which is unique to the creative process. I grew up in Boulder Colorado and spent most of my childhood sketching; only discovering sculpture in my early twenties. After moving to Illinois I enrolled in Prairie State College under a General Education degree, but quickly grasped on to the Fine Art program. I discovered the ceramics and sculpture program at South Suburban and spent most of my free time working out of their studios. After transferring to Illinois State University I began to explore different materials such as glass, plaster and wood, developing a familiarity with the construction and composition process of each medium. I received a BFA in Sculpture from Illinois State University in 2008.
I don't consider myself a mainstream artist. Over the last ten years my work has traveled numerous alternative space events, catering to viewers outside of the normal scene. I have shown work in venues ranging from the Peoria Art Guild, to a touring show out of the back of a u-haul with the Twin City Art Collective. I've hosted experimental shows and assisted on the installation of numerous projects. I have collaborated with other artists, musicians, and poets, with the goal of developing new possibilities to grow as an individual and expand the definitions of art.
To view more of my work, go to my online gallery on the Chicago Artists' Coalition, www.caconline.org.
Artist's Statement
In this body of work, I am exploring the changing perspective of values as we grow and become desensitized by convenience, experience, and the passage of time.
A toy such as a doll or pony may hold some sentimental attachment as an adult, but our attraction to the object comes from nostalgia and can never duplicate the value that the toy may hold to a child. The want for objects changes with age, as does the growing trend of obsolescence. At one time, the toys I used to make these sculptures were discarded. By changing the material of the objects into pewter, zinc and aluminum, I transform the content of the toys from a discarded relic from our childhood, into an object of new substance and value. To coincide with this change, I add my absurd humor in the hope of creating a narrative for my audience to enjoy. In this narrative, I question how our society perceives the value of what the toys represent. Tools of measurement, convenience, and simple ways of disposal are all present within this body of work. With my sculptures, I try to create juxtaposition between the cold mechanical elements which people associate with an adult’s image vocabulary, and the objects and color palette familiar to a child. It is my goal to make work, which has the content of an adult’s humor, but the form and quality of an interactive toy.
