Bureaucratic Sonata
Like many artists early in their careers, Ortega Ayala worked outside the art world for several years—before, during, and after his studies—to support his artistic practice. Rather than treating these experiences as separate from his art, he incorporated them into his work, repurposing materials encountered in his workplaces to create artworks. The resulting body of work includes filmed performances, documented actions, process-based works, self-imposed tasks, and sculptures ranging from small to large scale. This section presents a selection from this body of work.
A passenger lift, four mirrors and Post-it notes
420 blinds of a building opened or closed to create two large symbols
Post-it notes of seven colours folded to create a pattern
A carpet, prefabricated ceiling, a chair and 22 manipulated office lights
A chair, suit and rubber bands manipulated to make a video – Calf Roping
The materials inside a desk manipulated to suspend it
Lint samples from 99 people in a workspace
Untitled
White Post-it notes with black marker folded to create a pattern
A circular story
Blind drawing
Untitled (Coloured paper)
I’m useless but God loves me
There is more lead than eraser
A chair, prefabricated ceiling, 6 office lamps and a carpet manipulated to create a space
