Today we’d like to introduce you to Carlos Ortiz-Gallo.
Hi Carlos, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My path to making art started from very young (4-5 years old). My grandfather remembered I would ask for pen and paper as soon as I would arrive to his house to visit. I was involved in art magnet schools all through my childhood and eventually attended the Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI) where I received a BFA double majoring in Printmaking and Art History in 2016. For the last 10 years I have continued my art practice showcasing locally and nationally, attending residencies across the country, while also curating art exhibits and teaching art summer camps at KCAI.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not always been a smooth road. Obtaining a proper space for which to be creative was challenging in the past. I work on a larger scale so I’ve resorted to working from my living room, dining room, and kitchen during many years until eventually settling on a bigger home with ample space to work from.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
In my creative journey, I explore liminal spaces, reflecting my migratory path and socioeconomic experiences. I create installations using collage, mixed media, ceramics, and sculpture
My approach is dynamic and eclectic, drawing inspiration from diverse sources, including family photographs, found imagery, and discarded items. I breathe new life into these materials, recycling the old into fresh beginnings. Rooted in an instinctive approach, my art explores family history, everyday interactions, and the human ethos. It’s a visual dialogue that intertwines the ordinary and mundane with cultural and commercial imagery appropriated from newspapers, magazines and web imagery.
My creative practice is instinctual, guided by the materials and processes themselves. I embrace the challenge of repurposing older work to give birth to something new. Central to my work is the construction of life-size family members, transformed into hybrid beings. Within these creations, I engage in liminal spaces woven from family documents, photographs, interviews, and conversations. This journey uncovers my identity and the collective history of my family amidst the evolving American socio-political landscape.
My art is an odyssey that delves into the interplay of personal history, collective identity, and the transformations of our shared world.
I am most proud of my dedication to always shift focus and material in my practice. I have used older pieces/works in the past into new pieces. No piece is too sacred or important that it cannot serve as fuel for a new creation and that ability to remain unattached to a finished product, allows me to always push myself to explore new possibilities.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I have a large collection of art books that inspire me daily. Whether it is a Museum’s gallery collection, contemporary art books, artist biographies, there are multiple sources from which to pull from. At work (Assistant Curator at The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures), I have access to a vast amount of artist records as well as sound collection of book about miniatures, miniature making, and toy manufacturers that also provide inspiration. But the most important elements that pushes me to do my best is my interaction with art. Whether locally or when I travel, I always try to go to galleries and museums and take in what other artists are working on, what they are thinking, and what is driving them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.carlos-miguel-ortiz.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlos_ortizgallo/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlos-ortiz-gallo-82b40b200/
- Other: https://app.smartify.org/en-GB/artists/carlos-m-ortiz-gallo-4yqcw
