An Odyssey
The past and future combine in Virgil Ortiz’s sci-fi series that tells the history of the Pueblo Revolt of 1680.
MONTCLAIR, NJ
For the past two decades, multidisciplinary artist Virgil Ortiz has been on a mission to tell the history of the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. The narrative, which is lost to most Americans because it’s not taught in many schools, is one of overcoming Spanish Colonial rule by surviving religious persecution, genocide and the loss of lands. Pueblo leader Po’pay devised a strategy to overthrow the Spaniards to allow the Pueblo people to have independence and the freedom to celebrate their traditions and ceremonies.
Ortiz, of Cochiti Pueblo, tells the history through the lens of science fiction, which he has had a passion for since seeing Star Wars when he was around 6 years old. The artist has also been a fan of comic books, and he believes that the resurgence into the mainstream through films such as Avengers and Star Trek has provided him with a unique opportunity to share his knowledge of the Revolt with a larger population.
“That’s what the kids nowadays are into, and they pay attention to,” Ortiz says. “These are the cool characters and superhero characters.”
Rooted in his traditions as a potter, Ortiz also has built his series with glass sculptures, murals, videos, costumes and even a screenplay that is currently in the works. “I wrote a movie script of the Pueblo Revolt that’s happening in 1680 and simultaneously in 2180. There are two different time dimensions, which allows me to bring in superhero and sci-fi characters,” Ortiz explains. “It includes 19 characters that represent the 19 Pueblos that are in New Mexico.”
Three days after the 2018 Santa Fe Indian Market, Ortiz packed up and headed to the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center for an exhibition and artist residency. During his seven months in Colorado, Ortiz became friends with the staff, installers, art professors and other professionals in the industry, which allowed him to conceive an even bigger idea. He has been able to connect with other museums around the country and build exhibitions that involve local college students, workshops and lectures surrounding the show.
“Throughout the different shows I release a new character, so I’m slowly releasing my movie script and branding along the way,” Ortiz says. His next exhibition is Virgil Ortiz: Odyssey of the Venutian Soldiers at Montclair Art Museum in New Jersey, which runs through June 21, 2020.
“The Monclair show I jumped at the opportunity [to do] because I met the directors and curators before,” he explains. “It’s fun because these different institutions pick their characters and develop the whole installation around it. We work with local people who come to the workshops and the lectures. That’s what I look forward to with the art museums.”
His exhibition at Montclair will focus on the Venutian Soldiers, and will include an installation in the atrium of the museum depicting a parade of them. “The museum picked these characters, and they’re all wearing gas masks and are oily looking,” he says of the characters from the future portion of his timeline. “In the move script their Pueblo was bombed first,
so they’re dystopian and they’re in the process of moving their Pueblo to a place where there is fresh and breathable air.”
While these exhibitions will include multiple mediums of art, the show always turns back to the traditions of Cochiti pottery. “I use all different mediums, but a main point in my life is keeping traditional pottery work alive,” he says. “All of the masters, who are around my mother’s age, are passing away and some kids know the techniques, methods and materials to create the traditional pottery, but a lot of them have jobs outside the Pueblo and don’t have time to dedicate to making art.”
In his work, Ortiz uses the traditional materials and techniques, but with a modern flair that incorporates other art such as murals and costumes. “I leave the door open to tell the whole story, and it goes back to the traditional pottery that is the heart and soul of what I do. And that goes back to the narrative. It’s a full circle that goes over and over and repeats.”