Rubén Ortiz Torres

Rubén Ortiz Torres is a contemporary artist born in Mexico. His work spans across photography, painting, sculpture, and video. Torres's art is best known for exploring themes like cultural identity and cross border exchange. He has exhibited internationally and is associated with transnational artistic practices. Earlier in his career, he studied visual arts at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. After studying in Mexico, Ortiz Torres later earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the California Institute of the Arts.

Ortiz Torres began gaining recognition in the late 20th century through various exhibitions that interacted with the issues of cultural exchange and identity. Over the course of his career, Ortiz Torres expanded his work across multiple forms of media, including video, photography, and installation.

He is also known for exploring the idea of "customization." This is where objects and identities are shaped by not only global influence, but individual expression as well.

Later works include, Frontierland (1995), Alien Toy (1997), and Backyard Boogie Woogie (2003).

Other projects include La Ciudad Rota (1986) and El Bodhisattva (2002). Many of his projects were done in collaboration with other artists and show Torres's interest in multimedia experimentation.

Public collections Ortiz Torres's work is held in numerous public art collections in the United States and internationally.

These include:

Metropolitan Museum of Art Museum of Modern Art Tate Modern Los Angeles County Museum of Art Brooklyn Museum Reina Sofía National Art Center Museum

Torres's work is also shown internationally in Mexico and Europe.

Education

National Autonomous University of Mexico, Visual Arts California Institute of the Arts, Master of Fine Arts Harvard University, School of Design