BERLIN.- The Galerie Springer Berlin presents photography and objects by the Basque artist Aitor Ortiz (1971) in Berlin for the first time. Ortiz works with space, architecture and objects as source elements in order to present us time and again with visual and cognitive puzzles. His work, which he presents exclusively in black and white, goes beyond documentary architectural photography and emphasises the resolution and transformation of ‘the real’ combined with photographic presentation.
Ortiz has an ongoing interest in pointing out a series of inconsistencies between presentation and interpretation (perception). He makes connections between the content of his images, the material characteristics of the carriers used to reproduce his work and their position in the exhibition space. In the course of this, the artist creates another framework for his work and the relationship between the places photographed and the conscious and unconscious means which come to fruition within his work processes: the eye (interpretation, scope, decontextualisation...), the camera (sharpness/blurring, optical distortion, motion transfer...) and the brain (the imperfection of its information intake and its empirical practices ...). These relationships accumulate in the exhibition space, where the physical experience transcends the actual content of the image. A process of ongoing interaction between presentation and perception emerges.
In “Aitor Ortiz”, published in 2011 by Hatje Cantz, curator Michelle Marie Roy writes: “When I consider Ortiz’ work, I am reminded of a quote from Jan Szarkowski from the introduction to his book, “The Photographer’s Eye”: “An artist is a person who seeks new structures in which he may rearrange and simplify the reality of life.”
This, according to Michelle Marie Roy, is what Aitor Ortiz accomplishes in his work.
Although traces of various influences from classical photography can be found in Ortiz’ work, primarily from the Düsseldorf School, his photographs are in no way documentary – rather, he creates an entirely new reality. The artist skilfully combines analogue and digital processing technology in his works. Michelle Marie Roy: “He edits his images to adjust them to his vision.”
In the current exhibition, INTERSTICES, the Galerie Springer Berlin presents a selection of works from different ranges by the artist, the common theme of which is interstices.
The artist, born in Bilbao in 1971, is one of the best known Spanish photographers. He has already held group and solo exhibitions in numerous big museums in Europe, Asia and America. The largest solo exhibitions included the following: Museo Guggenheim, Bilbao (2011), Fotografiska Stockholm, 2012, Sala Canal de Isabel II, Madrid (2012). The book “Aitor Ortiz” published by Hatje Cantz in 2011, is an important monograph about his work, for which he has been celebrated by critics and awarded numerous prizes. His works have been included in many different collections, including: Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid, Museo Guggenheim Bilbao, Fundación La Caixa, AXA. Belgium, IVAM. Instituto Valenciano de Arte Moderno, Norman Foster Collection and many more.
