“My immigrant experience as a Peruvian artist in The United States of America has showed me that a border is a concept that exists because of its ability to be crossed. Different groups of people have inhabited the continent for centuries. My visual language seeks to use the figurative tradition in order to build bridges for people to cross, while at the same time opening spaces for viewers to make their own interpretations. It is an invitation to be part of a history; I believe exchange is the key not only to preserving cultures but also to evolving traditions to fit contemporary experience. I think it is important to re-value the art made in our communities. Art and traditions of many nations exist in the diverse cities of The United States of America. This phenomenon generates cultural exchange between our population, and this is necessary for the Country’s development and identity. For this reason as an artist, I have the responsibility to connect with my community. 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 art commitment is about that.” (https://renzoortega.com)

 

ABOUT RENZO ORTEGA

Renzo Ortega (Lima, Peru 1974) is an artist based in Carrboro, North Carolina. Renzo received a BFA in painting from the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes del Peru (1999), studied at the Art Students League of New York (2000-04), and has his MFA in painting from HunterCollege (2014). His artwork has been exhibited in solo and group shows in the United States and Perú and has been commissioned to create public art projects and community murals. His recent solo exhibitions have been at LUMP Gallery in Raleigh, North Carolina (2021), Espacio Venancio Shinki ICPNA in Lima-Perú (February 2020), Vox Populi Gallery in Philadelphia (March 2019), The Power Plant Gallery at Duke University (February 2019), and at The John and June Allcott Gallery at UNC Chapel Hill (January 2018). Renzo’s artwork has been exhibited in museums such as the NASHER Museum of Art (Durham, North Carolina, 2022),Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art SECCA (Winston-Salem, North Carolina 2020), the Works on Paper: 2017 Exhibition at The Weatherspoon Art Museum in Greensboro, in the S-Files Biennial at El Museo del Barrio (New York 2007) and Queens International Biennial at the Queens Museum in 2006. He is a recipient of the 2018-2019 North Carolina Arts Council Artist Fellowship Award, 2018-2019 Ella Fountain Pratt Emerging Artists Grant Durham Arts Council, 2018 Orange County Arts Commission Artist Project Grant, and 2016 Queens Council on the Arts New Work Award. In 2013, as a Kossak Travel Grant recipient, Renzo traveled to Berlin tostudy German Expressionism, and also in 2015 traveled to Honduras as a part of the U.S. Department of Cultural Affairs Cultural Envoy Program. He partook in the Visiting Artist Residency at the Rubenstein Arts Center at Duke University in 2019, and In 2020, he was the inaugural artist of the New Wave Art Wknd artist-in-residence program in West Palm Beach.