Artist profile
Lola
Ortiz
Lola Ortiz is an emerging artist based in Eora/Sydney, Australia. Ortiz investigates the profound cultural and historical significance that cooking and eating food hold within the Spanish culture.
Lola Ortiz is an emerging artist based in Eora/Sydney, Australia. Recently graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the National Art School, she is an artist deeply invested in exploring cultural heritage through the lens of food. Ortiz investigates the profound cultural and historical significance that cooking and eating food hold within the Spanish culture through experimental methods of printmaking, mixed media and video work. Central to this exploration is the concept of Sobremesa—the cherished time spent lingering at the table after a meal, engaging in conversation, and enjoying the company of loved ones. Ortiz uses her practice to examine the political and social dimensions of food: viewing cooking as an act of love, resistance, and the preservation of culture. Her work often explores her own sophisticated cross-cultural positionality—a unique perspective shaped by her heritage and her life in between Spain and Australia. While addressing complex themes, her pieces are inherently joyous and serve to evoke powerful memories of happiness and connection with family and friends.
Artist Career Highlights
- Finalist in the Burwood Art prize - 2022
Artist Interview
How does your artwork get from initial concept to exhibition stage?
I'm constantly surrounded by Spanish food and culture, through my mother. Having these flavours around me constantly, always speaking spanish at home is what inspires me. A longing of returning and wanting a connection to my identity also drives me through my conceptualisation. With that comes lots of sketching, taking photos from Sobremesa's when I was last in Spain and using them as inspiration. These sketches then realise into many different forms. Some become video/performance work, others into large scale monoprints, paintings or even stitched fabrics.
Tell us a bit about your story and how you came to be an artist
Since I was a baby, I've always been fascinated and incredibly passionate with anything artistic. Pursuing these passions after school at the National Art School, allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of my practise and what it means to be a young Spanish woman living in Australia, yearning for a connection with her home country.
