Richard Orjis

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Richard Orjis (born 1979) is a New Zealand artist based in Melbourne, Australia.

Contents

Biography

Orjis was born in Whanganui, New Zealand and studied at the Auckland University of Technology (AUT), earning a BVA in 2001. [1] He studied at Carnegie Mellon University, in Pittsburgh, before returning to New Zealand and studying for an MFA from the Elam School of Fine Art, at the University of Auckland, graduating in 2006. [2] In 2021 Orjis completed a PhD at AUT. The title of his doctoral thesis was Below, Behind, Across: Bttm Methodology and Queer Representation in Contemporary Art. [3] While living in New York, Orjis worked for photographer and film maker David LaChapelle and collaborated on several projects with Cuban American artist Anthony Goicolea. [4]

Work

All his work is designed to illustrated non-existent, shadowy social groups, engaged in ambiguous activity. They appear to be a group of Europeans who have gone feral in a tropical jungle. Covered wholly or partially in mud, they stare dully out at the camera through elaborate necklaces and garlands of brightly coloured, sensuous flowers. Phallic and vulval forms dominate the arrangements (pitcher plants and orchids). The figures are passive and unthreatening, but also generate frissons of evil and madness and exert a horrid fascination. Mud was the medium of Orjis' graduation show in 2006, My Empire of Dirt. Using mud and water, he did a fey series of works on paper depicting semi-clad figures singly and in groups. Some scenes were set in woodland, and the heads of some figures seemed to have morphed into grotesque wood galls while others wore helmets.

Exhibitions

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

(*denotes solo shows)

Collections

Bibliography

  1. ↑ "Flower Idol". artcollection.auckland.ac.nz. Archived from the original on 30 January 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  2. ↑ "Melanie Roger Gallery: Richard Orjis". melanierogergallery.com. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  3. ↑ Orjis, Richard (2021). Below, Behind, Across: Bttm Methodology and Queer Representation in Contemporary Art (Doctoral thesis). Tuwhera Open Access, Auckland University of Technology. hdl:10292/14319.
  4. ↑ Uxbridge Gallery. "Bright Light, Soft Launch" (PDF).

– Arevalo, Pilar, – 'Narcissist, artist or just taking the piss?', Oyster, Issue 43, December/January 2003, pp. 48–51

– Battersby, Shandelle, -'Richard Orjis, Artists and Mud Fan', Time Out, The New Zealand Herald, 17–23 May 2007, p. 5

– Brown, Warwick,-'Seen This Century:100 Contemporary New Zealand Artists’, Godwit, Random House, 2009, pp. 304–307

– Capdevilla, Marta, – ‘Up-State’, Suite, 29, October 2004, p. 64

– Chang, Lulu, – ‘ The Garden of Unearthly Delight’, Soma, Volume 21.4, May/June 2007, p. 30

– Coney, Hamish, -‘Future Schlock: An old fogey looks at the work of today’s yoof’, Ideolog, #7, January – February 2007, p. 95 or http://idealog.co.nz/magazine/January-February-2007/workshop/future-schlock

– ‘Gallery’, Black, No 7, Summer 2007/08, p. 176 (Artists Page)

– Hall, Oliver, – ‘International Achiever’, Express, 25 April – 1 May 2007, pp. 10–11

– Hamilton, Summer, – ‘Auckland Art Fair 07’, KiaOra, May 2007, p72

– Laird, Tessa, -‘Secrets of the Soil: Richard Orjis and his Empire of Dirt’, White Fungus, Issue 8, 2007, pp. 34–41

– Lingard, Jason, – ‘Richard Orjis’, Nothing Magazine, Issue 11 2007 http://www.nothingmag.com/_issue11/index.html

– McNaughton, Harry, ‘ Richard Orjis’, No. Magazine, Issue 1, March 2008, pp. 18–19

– Mogutin, Slava, -‘Anthony et Richard’, TETU, No 88, April 2004, p. 34–35

– Mudie, Ella, -‘ The Dark side: Richard Orjis’, Dazed and Confused Aus/NZ, Volume 1 Issue 3 2007, p. 137

– Northcross, Wayne, – ‘ Razzle-Basel’, Instinct, Vol 6 Issue 2, February 2003, p. 16

– Olveira, Manuel, – ‘A Story with a viewpoint’, Arquivar Tormentas, Centro Galego De Arte Contemporanea, Santiago, Spain, pp. 27–31

– Orjis, Richard, – ‘Momento Mori’, New Zealand Home & Entertaining, April/May 2006, pp. 62–69

– Orjis, Richard – ‘Coal Choir’, No Magazine, Issue 2 2008, pp. 61–69

– Pickens, Robyn,- ‘Expressions of Contradictions’, The Press, Christchurch, Wednesday, 16 April 2008, p.D5

– Real Art Trust Staff, – ‘Real Art Roadshow: The Book’, Real Art Charitable Trust, 2009, pp. 162–163

– Serrat, Carlos, ‘ Contemporary Paganism’, The Creator Studio’, # 11 Rituals, April 2008, pp. 4–13

– Suau, Christina, – ‘Richard Orjis’, ELLE, Spain, No. 197, February 2003, p. 72

– Tabron, Delaney, – ‘Richard Orjis’, Pavement, Summer 2004/2005, Issue 66, p. 43

– Ventur, Conrad, -‘NYC Photographers’, Useless Magazine, Vol 1 No 1, Fall/Winter 2004, p. 46

– Williams, Melinda, – ‘Hip to be square’, Sunday Life and View, Herald on Sunday, 3–9 April 2005, pp. 6–8

References

1. Warwick Brown, ‘Seen This Century:100 Contemporary New Zealand Artists’, Godwit, Random House, 2009, pp. 304–307

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