LUCY ORTA
Lucy Orta, born in Great Britain in 1966, he studio is base din Paris. Her “Refuge Wear” was first noticed in the 90s. These objects resembled temporary mobile architectures which transformed into poetic items of clothing, sleeping bags, first aid units, all for nomadic populations. Her “Collective Wear” sculptures in the form of tent domes with protruding appendages, exhibited in the Modern Art Museum on Paris in 1994, were placed into urban contexts for a series of interventions in housing estates, subway stations…and later developed into a human chain, :Nexus Architecture” which has since become the emblem of her work and has been presented in site specific performances such as in the Venice Biennale in 1995, Johannesburg Biennale 1997, Musuem of Contemporary Art Sydney 1998, Bolivia, Berlin, New York, Mexico City and other places.
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS,
ACTIONS & INTERVENTIONS
2002/3
- Victoria and Albert Museum, London UK (commission of new work and mixed media event, summer)
- Musée de l’art et de l’histoire, Cholet, France (commission of new work, April)*
- Centre for Contemporary Arts, Melbourne, Australia (commission of new work, March)*
2001
- Contemporary Art Museum of the University of South Florida, Tampa, USA (commission of new work & US tour)*
- Casa de Francia, Mexico City, Mexico (commission, Connector Gardien Angel, sector VIII)
2000
- Life Nexus Opera-tion, mixed-media event, Paris*
- Macrowear, exhibition, Kapelica Gallery, Lbjumila, Slovania
- Connector, exhibition, Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
- Connector, exhibition, Pitti Imagine, Florence, Italy
- Nomadic Village, exhibition, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne, Australia
- 70 x 7 The Meal Act IV, action, ville de Dieuze, France
1999
- Hortirecycling Entreprise Act II, action & exhibition, Secession, Vienna, Austria*
- Nexus Architecture intervention, Haus der Kulturen, Berlin, Germany*
- Passages centre d'art contemporain, Troyes, exhibition & action, France
- Collective Dwelling Act VII, action, Fabrica, Brighton, UK
- Institut Français d'Architecture, exhibition, Paris, France
- Urban Life Guards, installation, Expofil, Paris, France
1998
- Personal Effects - The Collective Conscious, Collective Dwelling Act V, action & exhibition, Museum of Contemporary Art Sydney, Australia*
- Urban Armour, exhibition, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
- Nexus Architecture intervention, Appel d'Air, March Against Child Labour, Paris/Lyon
- Collective Dwelling Act III, action & intervention, Lower East Side New York, USA*
1997
- Collective Dwelling Act II, Le Creux de l'Enfer Contemporary Art Centre, France*
- Ecole Supérieure des Arts et de la Communication, exhibition, Pau, France*
- All in One Basket Act I, action & installation, Gallery Forum St Eustache, Paris*
- Refuge Wear, intervention, East End, London, UK*
- Commune Communicate Act III, installation, Metz detention centre*
1996
- Modular Architecture intervention, Soirées Nomades, Cartier Foundation for contemporary art Paris, France*
- Refuge Wear, intervention, Soho metro, New York, USA*
- Actions Urbaines, Commune Communicate Act I, action, Metz, France*
- Espace d'Art Yvonamor Palix, exhibition, Paris, France*
1995
- Identity + Refuge Act I, action with the Salvation Army Paris, France*
- Nexus Architecture - Collective Wear x 16, intervention, Venice Biennale*
1994
- Refuge Wear, intervention, Montparnasse station Paris, France*
- Nexus Architecture - Collective Wear x 8, intervention, Cité La Noue, Montreuil, France*
- Refuge Wear, intervention, Louvre & the Pont des Arts Paris, France
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2001
- 70 x 7 The Meal, COPIA - The American Center for Food Wine & the Arts, Napa USA* (commission of new work for the inaugural exhibition)
- Plug In, Westfälisches Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte, Munster* (commission of new work)
- Nexus Architecture x 50, Untragbar, Museum für Angewandte Kunst Köln, Cologne* (Commission of OPERA.tion Life Nexus part III)
- (They say this is the) Place, Antwerp, Belgium* (commission of new work by Provinciebesturr van Antwerpen)
- Frauen Museum, Wegziehen, Bonn, Germany
- Künstlerhaus, Global Tools, Vienna, Austria
- Transforms, G8 Environment Summit Trieste, Italy* (commission of new work by CONAI)
- ARBOR vitae, Making History public arts project, Talke, UK (commission by Staffordshire University &, Staffordshire County Council)
2000
- Air en Forme, Vitra Design Museum, Germany*
- Connector II, Fondation pour l' Architecture, action & installation, Bruxelles, Belgium*
- Air en Forme, exhibition,Musée de Design et des Arts Decoratifs, Lausanne, Switzerland*
- The Invisible Touch, The Meal 70x70 Act III, action, Kunstraum Innsbruck, Austria*
- Ici On Peut Toucher, exhibition, Galerie TBN, Rennes, France
- Home, Life Nexus Foyer, action & installation, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Australia*
- Mutations // Modes 1960-200, exhibition, Musée Galliera, Paris, France*
1999
- Visions of the Body, exhibition, Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, Japan*
- Visions of the Body, exhibition, Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan*
- In the Midst of Things, Life Nexus Village Fête, action & intervention, Bournville, Birmingham, UK*
- Design Machine, Collective Dwelling Act VI, action & exhibition, Kelvingrove Museum, Glasgow*
- Model Homes, exhibition, The Edmonton Art Gallery, Canada
- Ronald Feldman Gallery, New York
1998
- Addressing the Century, exhibition, The Hayward Gallery, London, UK*
- The Campaign against Living Miserably, The Royal College of Art Galleries, London, UK*
- Passage de Retz, exhibition, Paris, France
1997
- Trade Routes, History & Geography, Nexus Architecture, action, intervention
& exhibition, 2nd Johannesburg Biennale, South Africa*
- Produire, Créer, Collectionner, Luxembourg Museum Paris*
- PSI Open, exhibition, PSI Contemporary Arts Center, New York, USA
- Ici et Maintenant, Citizen Platform Act I, action, La Villette, Paris, France*
- Touche pour Voir, installation, Le Creux de l'Enfer, France
- Ici et Ailleurs, exhibition, Le Parvis, France
1996
- Visual Reports, installation, ICC Cultural Centre, Antwerp, Belgium*
- On Route to Mex, Art & Idea, Mexico City, Mexico*
- Commune Communicate Act II, exhibition, Casino Luxembourg*
- Shopping, Identity + Refuge Act II, performance catwalk, Salvation Army
& Deitch Projects, New York, USA*
- L'art du plastique, exhibition, Ecole des Beaux Arts Paris, France*
1995
- Shopping, Un sac pour la rue, installation, Tati & CAPC Bordeaux, France*
- On Board, Survival Kits, installation, Venice Biennale, Italy*
- Kulturhuset, exhibition, Stockholm, Sweden*
1994
- Ateliers 94, exhibition, Modern Art Museum - ARC, Paris*
* = catalogue, publication, video
CONTRIBUTIONS
- IDCA Speaker, 51st conference “The More Things Change”, Aspen Colorado, USA*, 2001
- Generazione delle Immagini, VII Racconti d’Identita, Conference, Commune of Milan, Italy* 2001
- View Points, volume 1, author of “From the nest to the web”, pp 116-122, Holland*, 1997
AWARDS
- Chair in Fashion, The London College of Fashion, UK, 2002
- The Andy Warhol Foundation grant, USA 2001
- Edinburgh College of Art, UK, Virtual Fellow, 2000-2001
- Sissel d'Or, prize for Innovation, 1993
DETAILED BIBLIOGRAPHY
MONOGRAPHIC PUBLICATIONS
- Process of Transformation, éditions Jean-Michel Place. Essays by Pierre Restany, Mark Sanders, Christina Morozzi, Jen Budney, Paris 1999 ISBN 9-782858-934027
- Refuge Wear, Lucy Orta, éditions Jean-Michel Place. Essays by Paul Virilio, Jérôme Sans,
Jean-Michel Ribettes, Philippe Piguet., Paris, May 1996 ISBN 9-782858-932726
MONOGRAPHIC catalogues
- Secession, Vienna, Austria. Interview with Hou Han Rou, 23rd June - 8th August 1999.
- Museum of Contemporary Art Sydney, Australia. Personal Effects. Essay by Ewen McDonald, July 1998
PUBLICATIONS
- Plug In, Westfälisches Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte Münster, 2001 ISBN 3-933096-58-8
- Untragbar, Museum für Angewandte Kunst Köln, Hatje Cantz, Germany, 2001 ISBN 3-7757-1063-9
- Musée des Arts Decoratifs Lausanne, Air en Forme, Switzerland 2000 ISBN 2-88244-005-7
- Adressing the Century, The Hayward Gallery, October, UK 1998 ISBN 1-85332-183-4
- Art & Mode, Editions Assouline/Thames and Hudson, Florence Müller, Paris 1999 ISBN 9-782843-231674
- Performances, Thames and Hudson, Roselee Goldberg, London 1999 ISBN 2-87811-168-0
- Performance Live art since the 60's, Thames and Hudson, Roselee Goldberg, London 1998
- L'Age Contemporain, Editions du Regard, Paul Ardenne pp. 200, 339, Paris, 1997
EXHIBITION CATALOGUES
- Plug In, Westfälisches Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte Münster, 2001 ISBN 3-88789-138-4
- Wegziehen, Der weibliche Blick auf Migration in Kunst und Wissenschaft, Frauen Museum, Bonn, 2001, ISBN 3-928239-61-9
- Transforms, Trieste, Italy 2001
- Art Gallery of Western Australia, Home, Perth Australia, 2000
- La Fondation pour l'Architecture Brussels, Dynamic City, Belgium 2000
- Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Visions of the Body, Japan 1999
- R.C.A., London, The Campaign Against Living Miserably, May, UK 1998
- 2nd Johannesburg Biennale, Trade Routes History and Geography, South Africa, Oct 1997
- Caisse des dép™ts et consignations, Produiré, Créer, Collectionner, France, Oct 97
- ASPV La Villette, Ici et Maintenant, France, Sept 1997
- ICC Antwerp, Visual Reports, Belgium, Nov 1996
- On Board, 95 Venice Biennale, Italy, 1995
- CAPC Magazine, Un Sac Pour La Rue, Bordeaux, 9th Sept 1995
- Musée d'art modern de la ville de Paris - ARC, Ateliers 94, Paris, 1994
- Cité de Refuge, Paris, 1993
MAGAZIN SPECIALS PROJECTS
- Amican°39, Vestito da Abitare, Cristina Morozzi, pp 104-107, Sept 1999
- The Tampa Tribune, Feb. 28, Tampa, Florida 1999
- Atlantica n° 19, pp 74-81, Las Palmas, Canary Islands, 1998
- Dazed & Confused n° 29, pp 72-79, Paul Virilio, UK, March 1997
- Vogues Hommes International n° 2, pp154, 155, Harriet Quick, 1997
- Time Out, Identity + Refuge part II, New York, 4th Sept 1996
PRESS SELECTION
- Public Arts Review 12, Fabric Interventions, Bruce N. Wright, pp11-14, USA, Sum 2001
- Monuments 42, Corporeal Limits, John Bralic, pp 74-77, Australia, June July 2001
- Teme Celeste, Transforms, Paola Noé, March 2001
- Axis vol 90, Tomoko Ishiguro, pp 089-093, Tokyo, Japan January 2001
- Sunday Herald, Moira Jeffrey, 3 December 2000
- Casa Vogue, Francesca Taroni, p 70, Italy October 2000
- Domus n°824, Corporal Architecture, Maria C.Tommasini, pp74-81, Italy March 2000 °
- Amica n°8, Trovare Casa in un Vestito, Laura Piccinini, pp 226, 227, Fev 2000
- Frantfurter Allgemeine Nr. 12/2 D, Wohnkleider und Hosenzelte für die Nomaden des 21. Jahrhunderts, Marion Aberle, Jan 15, 2000
- Intramuros n°73, L' Art à-Porter, Cristina Morozzi, pp 24, 25, Oct-Nov 1999
- Numéro n°8, Robe'n'Nobel, Brigitte Fitoussi, p 50, Nov 1999
- Amica n°39, Vestito da Abitare, Cristina Morozzi, pp 104-107, Sept 1999
- Architectural Review Australia 65, Body Architecture, John Crosling, p 98, spring 98
- Frank, Refuge Wear, Harriet Quick, pp 74-75, Oct 1998
- ID Magazine n°179, Refuge Wear, Kodwo Eshun, p 106, Sept 1998
- Art in America n°6, Mapping the Postcolonial, Eleanor Heartney, p 51, June 1998
- Blueprint n°150, Lucy Orta, Mark Sanders, p 34, May 1998 - Artforum International, Moving Company, M. Diawara, pp 86-89, March 1998
- Third Text, Who's it for? The 2nd Johannesburg Biennale, Jen Budney, Feb 98
- Intramuros n°73, Wearing vs. Inhabiting, C. Morozzi, p 25, Paris, 1997
- Vogues Hommes International n° 2, pp154, 155, Harriet Quick, 1997
- Art Press n° Spécial, interview Valérie Guillaume, pp 84-85, Paris, Oct 1997
- Domus n° 793, Pierre Restany, pp 102, 103, Italy, May 1997
- Dazed & Confused n° 29, pp 72-79, Paul Virilio, UK, March 1997
- Flux News n° 10, interview Lino Polegato, p 3, Belgium, 1996
- Mondo Arte n° 4 anno 2, L'Architectura del Corpo, Italy, 1996
- Paris Free Voice n° 4, Identity & Refuge, works by Lucy Orta, May 1996
- L'Oeil n° 478, Architectures corporelles, P. Piguet, p10, France, Jan 1996
- East West Ave n° 1, éthique dans l'esthétique, A. Vandière, France, 1995
- Vogue France n° 754, P. Cabasset, p 85, France, March 1995
- Archicrée n° 260, C. Fayolle, France, Autumn 1994
- Sunday Observer, A home for survival, R. Tredre, p 12, UK,, 31 Oct 1993
- Kanal Paris n° 4 , Vêtements de Lucy Orta, M. Giroud, p 30, Oct 1993
- Documents n° 2, Living Room, N. Ergino, pp 24-26, Feb 1993