Photo by Richard Kagan
VICENTE ORTIZ CORTEZ (Born 1992, Mexico) is a contemporary artist based in Philadelphia, USA. He is the 2020 Michelle Angela Ortiz Curatorial Fellow at Da Vinci Art Alliance, and serves in the Gallery Committee at University City Arts League.
His work, informed by his catholic upbringing in the macho culture of rural Mexico, addresses themes of sexuality, identity, and anthropocenic anxieties. He has exhibited in the USA and abroad in Egypt, Italy, and South Korea, with a 2020 solo exhibition at The Beach Museum in Alagoas, Brazil. His awards include the 2019 Juried Art Exhibition Award from the William Way LGBT Community Center in Philadelphia, and the 2019 Highly Commended Award from Red Line Art Works in Bath, United Kingdom. He has been juried into exhibitions by The Nation’s art critic, Barry Schwabsky, and by the Curator of Contemporary Art at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) Museum, Jodi Throckmorton, among others.
Ortiz Cortez received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from The Pennsylvania State University, and also attended Studio Arts College International (SACI) in Florence, Italy.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I explore themes of sexuality, identity, and anthropocenic anxieties.
My work ranges from small colored pencil drawings to installation and performance art, all of which is influenced by my catholic upbringing in the macho culture of rural Mexico.
Through the use of my culture’s vibrant color palette, I bring attention to sociopolitical issues, raising questions about the fate of nature and humanity.
CV
VICENTE ORTIZ CORTEZ
Born 1992, Mexico
Lives and works in Philadelphia, USA
EDUCATION
2014 Bachelor of Fine Arts, The Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania, USA
2013 Studio Arts College International (SACI), Florence, Italy
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2020 Eternal Peace (2084), The Study, Philadelphia, PA (upcoming)
2020 Paz Futura (2084), The Beach Museum, Alagoas, Brazil
2014 La Primavera del Invierno, Sweet & Paciorek, Avondale, PA
2014 vih-SEN-tay, Patterson Gallery, University Park, PA
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2020 14th Annual Group Art Exhibition, William Way LGBT Community Center Gallery, Philadelphia, PA (upcoming)
2020 Artist, Reader, Writer II, Da Vinci Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA
2019 Student and Faculty Exhibition, University City Arts League, Philadelphia, PA
2019 Perennial Visions II, Da Vinci Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA
2019 14th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, William Way LGBT Community Center Gallery, Philadelphia, PA (Juror: James Claiborne, independent curator and Public Programming Manager, African American Museum, Philadelphia)
2019 215 | 610 CONTEMPORARY: Juried Exhibition of Regional Emerging Artists, Art Gallery, Delaware County Community College, Media, PA (Juror: Jodi Throckmorton, Curator of Contemporary Art, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Museum)
2019 Stonewall @ 50, Leonard Pearlstein Gallery, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA (invitational) (Co-Curators: David Acosta & Janus Ourma)
2019 Expanding the Queer Perspective, The Common Room & Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania, The Common Room, Philadelphia, PA
2019 Encounters with Whitman, Da Vinci Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA (Jurors: Stiofan O'Ceallaigh, UK & Jose Luis Cortez, Puerto Rico)
2019 Small Favors: Juried, Korman Gallery, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA (invitational, by Jennifer Zwilling)
2019 Postcards from the Edge, Visual AIDS, Bortolami Gallery, New York, NY
2019 Objectified 2019, Czong Institute for Contemporary Art (CICA) Museum, Gyeonggi, South Korea (catalog)
2019 Online Exhibition, Red Line Art Works, Bath, United Kingdom (award)
2018 Student and Faculty Exhibition, University City Arts League, Philadelphia, PA
2018 Know Now, Bahdeebahdu, Philadelphia, PA (invitational, by RJ Thornburg)
2017 Single Fare 4, New York Academy of Art, Highline Stages, New York, NY
2017 Priority Mail, Ground Floor Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2017 Not My President Still My Country, Philadelphia Creatives for Change, A Poet Art Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2017 Cold Pizza, The Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA (invitational, by D'Nae Harrison)
2015 Penis Monologues, No Refund Theater, University Park, PA
2015 4th Student International Print Show, Extra Art Gallery, Cairo, Egypt (juried)(catalog)
2015 4th Student International Print Show, Gallery of the Faculty of Fine Arts, El Minia University, Minya, Egypt (juried)(catalog)
2014 Courage to Create, New Leaf Initiative, State College, PA (works censored and removed on opening day by New Leaf Initiative directors)
2014 X=HP^O, Patterson Gallery, University Park, PA
2014 BFA Studio Tour Arts Crawl, School of Visual Arts, University Park, PA
2014 Undergraduate Juried Exhibition, Edwin W. Zoller Gallery, University Park, PA (award) (Juror: Barry Schwabsky, Art Critic, The Nation, New York, NY)
2014 BFA Exhibition, Edwin W. Zoller Gallery, University Park, PA
2014 The Right to Remain Violent: Gun Control for a New Civilization, The Penn State Downtown Theatre Centre Gallery, State College, PA
2013 Undergraduate Juried Show, Edwin W. Zoller Gallery, University Park, PA (Juror: Tim Roda, Artist, New York, NY)
2013 Petriz, Patterson Gallery, University Park, PA (two-person exhibition, with artist Jeremy Petrachonis)
2013 BFA Exhibition, Edwin W. Zoller Gallery, University Park, PA
2013 2D + 3D, Palazzo dei Cartelloni, Florence, Italy
2013 SACI Design Exhibition, Palazzo Maidoff, Florence, Italy
2012 BFA Exhibition, Edwin W. Zoller Gallery, University Park, PA
2012 Beyond the Classroom Walls, Borough Building, State College, PA
2011 BFA Exhibition, Edwin W. Zoller Gallery, University Park, PA
2010 Emerging Artists II, Starbucks, Kennett Square, PA
2010 Chester County Art Association (CCAA) Art Festival, CCAA, West Chester, PA (award)
2009 Emerging Artists, Starbucks, Kennett Square, PA
2009 Kennett Artists, The Flash, Kennett Square, PA
2009 CCAA Art Festival, CCAA, West Chester, PA
CURATORIAL WORK
2020 Curator, Respect for the Rights of Others is Peace: Building on Hope, Unity, Sacrifice, Da Vinci Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA (upcoming)
2020 Curator, Respect for the Rights of Others is Peace: Democracy from the Grave, University City Arts League, Philadelphia, PA (upcoming)
2020 Juror, Colors of Hope, Da Vinci Art Alliance, Atria Senior Living, Philadelphia, PA (upcoming)
2019 Curator, Chanthaphone Rajavong: FUTURE/SUSTAINABLE, University City Arts League, Philadelphia, PA
2019 Curator, Laura Mecklenburger: Spell Craft, University City Arts League, Philadelphia, PA
2018 Co-Curator, Formerly Philly, University City Arts League, Philadelphia, PA
HONORS AND AWARDS
2019 14th Annual Juried Art Exhibition Award, Juror: James Claiborne, William Way LGBT Community Center, Philadelphia, PA
2019 Highly Commended Award, Red Line Art Works, Bath, United Kingdom
2015 Featured Artist, 4th Student International Small Print Show, El Minia University, Egypt
2015 Featured Artist, Penis Monologues, No Refund Theater, USA
2014 Undergraduate Juried Exhibition Merit Award, Juror: Barry Schwabsky, Penn State University, USA
2014 Stefan J. S. Levine Endowment, Penn State University, USA
2014 Margaret Giffen Schoenfelder Memorial Scholarship Award for Painting, Penn State University, USA
2013 SACI Scholarship, SACI, Italy
2012 William J. and Lois Kesterson Leight Scholarship Award for Demonstrated Artistic Ability, Penn State University, USA
2011 Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity Scholarship Award, Penn State University, USA
2010 William A. Hirsch Award for Excellence in Black and White Drawing, Chester County Art Association, USA
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
The Beach Museum, Alagoas, Brazil
El Minia University, Egypt
EXPERIENCE
Michelle Angela Ortiz Curatorial Fellow, Da Vinci Art Alliance, 2020
Gallery Committee Member, University City Arts League, Philadelphia, PA, 2018 - Present
Art Instructor, Belmont Charter School OST Program, Philadelphia, PA, 2017 - Present
Curatorial Assistant, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park, PA, 2014
Assistant, Edwin W. Zoller Gallery, University Park, PA, 2011 - 2013