Christy Ortiz New Works

“For the past ten years I have been using photography as a means to express myself artistically. Currently, I am using my interest in photography to create open-ended boxes that hold three, transparent images. Each image is sandwiched between plexiglass and separated by a small amount of space. Within these boxes, I am interested in expanding the concept of the 2-dimensional picture plane, foreground, middle ground and background, into a 3-dimensional format. The three images that are used in each of the artworks represent a person’s physical being, their emotional state, and a space in which they find shelter or some type of refuge.

Each set of transparent images is encased in wooden frames that allow the viewer to look through the artworks and walk around them. By excluding the usual closed backing found in a 2-dimensional artwork, the viewer is encouraged to interact with the images from many different angles. Different figures and shapes begin to emerge as the observer views the images that become intermingled within each other. One’s own image may appear within the artworks during this viewing experience, which is produced through a reflection in the plexiglass. Although some of the images that are used in my photographs are self-portraits, I encourage the viewer to interpret them on a more personal and universal level.”