JUAN ORTIZ-APUY  |  TROPICANA
February 13 – April 12, 2025
ODD Gallery, Dënäkär Zho |  KIAC
Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in territory, Dawson City, Yukon

OPENING RECEPTION & ARTIST TALK: Thursday, February 13th at 7PM – 10PM, Artist talk at 7:30PM – 8:30PM

TROPICANA

A GENUINE FORAY INTO THE WORLD OF OBJECTS, THE YOUTH EXHIBITION TROPICANA SEEKS TO EXAMINE THE WAY WE CONSUME TODAY THE BETTER TO UNDERSTAND ITS FUTURE IMPACTS.

When confronting the environmental crisis, in which unbridled production of goods is threatening the diversity of the natural world, it’s essential that we take an interest in how things are displayed, commercialized and consumed, whether in brick-and-mortar store windows or online. This youth exhibition, specially designed for kids and teenagers aged 6 to 14, casts a critical eye on modern consumer society and advertising aimed at children, which often features animals, colours, sounds and shapes designed to appeal to them. For the occasion, Montreal-based Costa Rican artist Juan Ortiz-Apuy has created a visual and sound environment allowing visitors to explore the language of advertising and its ability to act on us, in sometimes unexpected ways. The artist based his research on new marketing strategies that have emerged in the social media era, i.e., the phenomenon of “unboxing” and ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) videos. Besides a guided tour, children can take part in a workshop designed to awaken their senses, creativity and critical thinking. Observation games to be completed with family members round out the experience.

Juan Ortiz-Apuy

Costa Rica–born Juan Ortiz-Apuy has lived and worked in Montreal since 2003. He is an assistant professor in the Department of Studio Arts at Concordia University. Working in his favoured techniques of collage and assemblage, he makes art driven by thinking around consumer goods, often employing humour to explore the advertising and media strategies associated with them. His works—which he presents in the form of multimedia installations—draw inspiration from design, art history and pop culture. His work has been shown in several museums and art centres across Canada as well as abroad, including the Fondation Phi pour l’art contemporain (Montreal), Birch Contemporary Gallery (Toronto), OPTICA, centre d’art contemporain (Montréal), ARTSPACE (Peterborough), the Carleton University Art Gallery (Ottawa), the IKEA Museum (Älmhult, Sweden), as well as at MOMENTA | Biennale de l’image in Montreal and Manif d’art 7 in Quebec City. In 2011 he was the beneficiary of the Halifax Regional Municipality Contemporary Visual Art Purchase Program. Upcoming projects include a solo show at Open Space (Victoria), and residencies at MASS MoCA (North Adams, MA, USA) and the Zentrum Für Keramik (Berlin). Juan Ortiz-Apuy holds a BFA from Concordia University, where he now teaches, along with a postgraduate diploma from the Glasgow School of Art and an MFA from NSCAD University.

Crédit pour la tournée de Juan :

La circulation de Tropicana bénéficie du soutien financier du Conseil des arts du Canada et du Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec. Cette exposition a été produite en 2020 par VOX, centre de l’image contemporaine grâce au soutien financier du Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec.

Credits for Juan tour:

The Tropicana’s tour benefits from the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec. This exhibition was produced in 2020 by VOX, centre de l’image contemporaine with financial support from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec.  

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