Born 1985 in Cuzco (Peru), lives and works in Urubamba (Peru).

Daniela Ortiz conceives visual narratives in which concepts of nationality, racialisation, social class and gender are explored to critically understand structures of colonial, patriarchal and capitalist power. Between ex-voto and naive art, her paintings poetically blend ironic antiracist narratives with historical sketches. In her recent works, the artist is interested in places built during the 19th century (botanical gardens, greenhouses, zoos) that advocate the narrative of an industrial, developed and civilised Europe. Created to legitimate the violence inflicted to Global South territories, people, fauna and flora, the dominant narratives generated by these structures remain according to her the bases for institutional European racism and contemporary imperialism.

Initiated in 2020, The Rebellion of the Roots series reverses the course of these narratives. Daniela Ortiz depicts scenes presenting tropical plants that, “sequestered” according to her in botanical gardens, find their own way to confront the politicians and authorities responsible for these crimes, to ensure justice. Through these small formats, the artist instills a spirit of resistance and calls for the need of supporting existing anticolonial struggles.

Daniela Ortiz is represented by the galleries Laveronica (Modica) and àngels barcelona (Barcelona).