The multidisciplinary creations of this Colombian-Israeli achieve the impossible: fascination in a world in which everything already seemed to be invented. She has created everything from music videos and album covers for Bomba Estéreo and Nicolas Cruz, to altars with sneakers designed for Nike for the Day of the Dead. Recently, within the framework of the MUTEK art and technology festival, one of her video art pieces—accompanying the performance of the Japanese opera singer Hachis Nois—was programmed at the Diego Rivera Anahuacalli museum.
There are those who define Ory Anan as “an artist of artists of artists”. Whether in his installations, in his videos or in the costumes he designs, he displays a dreamlike universe based on masks, surreal creatures, tropical colors, symbols and mysticism, where the theatrical and the cosmic conspire in an even more hypnotic way than in The Cremaster Cycle by Matthew Barney.
The aesthetic that characterizes the work of Orly Anan (36 years old) arises from an amalgamation of cultures and sources of inspiration, reflecting a journey that she herself describes as “infinite.” She spent her childhood in Barranquilla (Colombia), her adolescence in Tel-Aviv and studied interior design and art curating in Barcelona. She later moved to New York, where she cut her teeth for most of her twenties, getting involved in film and stage design. Already with a voice of her own, she moved to Mexico City a few years ago to completely dedicate herself to her art “without fear of success,” a phrase that she often repeats as a mantra. Hers, she points out, has been an external journey as well as an internal journey.
Ask. What inspires your work?
Answer. I grew up in the Colombian Caribbean, in Barranquilla, which is a very culturally rich place. I am very inspired by this cultural diversity, where the indigenous influence is intertwined with the African, Spanish and Jewish and Arab immigrants. Above all, I am inspired by their carnival; the rhythm, the color, the costumes.
Q. On the other hand, his work also addresses faith, rituals…
R. I consider myself a very spiritual person. I dedicate just as much time to exploring other countries and cultures as I do to exploring other versions of myself. I am always searching for what life is through different tools. Sometimes I get hooked on deep meditations, sound baths or Native American chants, other times on tarot, psychedelic plants or kabbalah. I feel that ideas come to me when a channel opens. I simply bring those ideas to this plane.
Q. And at the level of creators, what other Hispanic artists inspire you?
R. Many. Ana Mendieta, Doris Salcedo, Rita Indiana, Graciela Iturbide, Camila Falqués, Zulu Padilla…
Q. What was it like being an immigrant in New York?
R. The charm of New York is that it is the city of everyone and no one. Even if you know that it is not your language or your culture, you are not alone. There are many people experiencing the same situation. Historically, New York has been a great port for artists from around the world. What was difficult for me was to understand how the American mind works, which revolves a lot around what is correct, in a very rigid way. In that sense I felt misunderstood, but I was part of a very nice community of friends, mostly Hispanic. And many of them remain great friends, like the photographer Camila Falqués. We both start at the same time. She still lives there.
Q. He sought refuge in the Hispanic community.
R. He always went to Latin places to look for work. I worked at the Havana Social, at the Caracas Arepas bar… I knew that the Hispanic community was not going to abandon me, that they were always going to give me a chance. For seven years I worked mainly as a waitress and hostess. And he also did set design for film students, mostly Hispanics who studied at the New York Film Academy or Columbia University.
Q. Besides the cultural one, what other types of barriers did you encounter?
R. The language barrier, but also the ethnic-racial one. I had very strong experiences working with Americans; I spent ten hours a day assisting them but they didn’t call me by my name, they didn’t know my name.
Q. Why did you go to Mexico?
R. I didn’t feel inspired by American culture and Trump came to power. On the other hand, I was very longing to return to Latin America and I always had a hunch that I would live in Mexico. It is a country with a very strong weight in our culture, since Frida Kahlo, the muralists… and it has been a refuge for many artists. The richness of colors, flavors… Despite colonization, everything is still very vibrant and geographically it is a bridge between the United States and Latin America.
Q. Was it what drove you to dedicate yourself exclusively to art?
R. New York was a great school of life, it gave me a great experience and I am who I am thanks to that. But I felt like I was moving against the current while Mexico seemed to be shouting “Welcome!” In fact, three days after arriving I met a gallery owner who suggested I exhibit my work in his art gallery, when I didn’t even have much work. I decided to say goodbye to the hospitality industry and take the step of daring to make my own art. It has been a gradual evolution, a mixture of perseverance and discipline.
Q. Talk about discipline, is there a schedule imposed when working?
R. My discipline is commitment to the moment when inspiration strikes me. In that sense I work from Monday to Sunday, including holidays.
Q. He does not have an agent, but has worked with brands such as Nike, Spotify, and Converse. How do they find it?
R. We live in the age of the internet, everything runs. The other day, Erykah Badu reposted one of my posts on Instagram. You have control of what you post, but if the account is public, you never know who will see it.
Q. You have already managed to make a living from your art, what is your dream now?
R. I am taking a theater directing course at the UNAM because everything I have done has been silent, although loaded with a symbology that any understanding of anthropology can recognize, but now I want to explore human language. I have always denied the human within the character and now I want to transcend that fantasy. On the other hand, I just returned from New York, where I collaborated making costumes for a choreography by Andrea Miller. That’s the direction I want my work to take; get away from the big brands and get more into performance, in theater, on stage.
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