Artist
Guestbook
Press Release
Babst Gallery is pleased to present Will I Live Again, a solo exhibition of new paintings by Justin Ortiz. In his works, Ortiz returns again and again to the same figure, among fractured cities and ancient faces.
Historical through-lines run deeply within Ortiz's work: Dürer’s gestures filtered through Sigmar Polke, Greek sculptural forms refracted through Jordaens and Rubens. This history-honed imagery still carries a visual charge—even if stripped of its context, ungendered, and pushed toward abstraction. For Ortiz, art history is neither burden nor authority, but raw material.
His paintings are built slowly. Ortiz begins in greyscale over an amber ground, then layers thin oil glazes until the underpainting shines through. Little can be changed once the composition is locked into place, a constraint that Ortiz deliberately courts. Foreground and background push and pull as the figure persists between them.
Justin Ortiz (b. 1998, Sleepy Hollow, NY) lives and works in Los Angeles, CA.…
Exhibition Space
Metadata
Claims
Press Release
Babst Gallery is pleased to present Will I Live Again, a solo exhibition of new paintings by Justin Ortiz. In his works, Ortiz returns again and again to the same figure, among fractured cities and ancient faces.
Historical through-lines run deeply within Ortiz's work: Dürer’s gestures filtered through Sigmar Polke, Greek sculptural forms refracted through Jordaens and Rubens. This history-honed imagery still carries a visual charge—even if stripped of its context, ungendered, and pushed toward abstraction. For Ortiz, art history is neither burden nor authority, but raw material.
His paintings are built slowly. Ortiz begins in greyscale over an amber ground, then layers thin oil glazes until the underpainting shines through. Little can be changed once the composition is locked into place, a constraint that Ortiz deliberately courts. Foreground and background push and pull as the figure persists between them.
Justin Ortiz (b. 1998, Sleepy Hollow, NY) lives and works in Los Angeles, CA.…
Exhibition Space
Artist
Guestbook
Metadata
Claims
Editing is restricted
You cannot submit an edit because the institution hosting this exhibition has been claimed by .
Editing this section requires claiming the profile of the institution hosting this exhibition. You will need to upgrade to an Enterprise plan to submit your claim.
Claims are one of the many safeguards in place on UntitledDb that preserve the integrity of the information on our platform.For additional information on claims, click "Learn more."
Editing is restricted
Editing this section requires claiming the profile of the institution hosting this exhibition. You will need to upgrade to an Enterprise plan to submit your claim.
Claims are one of the many safeguards in place on UntitledDb that preserve the integrity of the information on our platform.For additional information on claims, click "Learn more."
Editing is restricted
A reputation of 20,000 or higher is needed to edit posts created by other users.
Familiarize yourself with our platform by creating new posts and watching your favorites. You'll reach a reputation of 20,000 in no time.
This is one of the many safeguards in place on UntitledDb that preserve the integrity of the information on our platform.
Account access options
Log in and connect with the art world
By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
or
Account access options
Sign up and connect with the art world
By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
or
Account access options
Expand your reach with UntitledDb Pro
By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
or
Account access options
Grow your institution's reach and impact with UntitledDb Enterprise
By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
or
Sign up for UntitledDb Pro to unlock this feature