Damián Ortega. Casino

At
the center of the show is the “Beetle Trilogy”, one of the artist’s most
momentous works, in the form of an “epic” tale of the Volkswagen Beetle. A
prominent characteristic of his work is the use of simple or recycled
materials, such as tools and implements, which he reworks to highlight his
interest in production systems, processes of transforming matter, and entropy. 

In
his practice, Ortega alters and deconstructs objects, building structures that
create a dialogue between matter and form, action and thought. His entire
production is permeated by a very personal and subtle sense of humor, which
gives both meaning and originality to the most mundane things, in order to
convey even the most challenging issues in a light-hearted manner.

Damián Ortega was
born in Mexico City in 1967. Many institutions have presented solo exhibitions
of his work, including the ICA in Philadelphia (2002), Tate Modern in London
(2005), the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris (2008) and MAM in Rio de Janeiro
(2015); Palacio de Cristal del Retiro, Madrid (2016); Garage Museum
of Contemporary Art, Moscow (2018). He has twice taken part in the Venice
Biennale (2003, 2013); and has exhibited at the 4th Berlin Biennale and the
27th Sao Paulo Biennale (2006), the 11th Havana Biennial (2012)