Bio

Roberto Ortiz (b. 1991) grew up and works out of Westlake/Koreatown. Early on, he learned to map the neighborhood by walking it with his mother, learning where to walk, where to avoid walking, and all the ins and outs of being a member of the community. He was influenced by the graffiti on the buildings in the area, and fascinated by culture of skateboarders who created a mental map of the area by assigning importance to particular spots.

Over time, as he continued to walk and live in the neighborhood, he began creating his own visual maps, obsessing over little pockets of the community, which he uses as reference points in his current work. His paintings are close-up visuals of the architectural details of the neighborhood: the walls, crevices and archways built a century ago that often reference Roman and Spanish buildings. These architectural details frame juxtaposed views of Roberto’s daily life in multiple timeframes, portrayed in sharpened light that’s bright but muted, using the sun or moon or shadows to create time.