Today we’d like to introduce you to Céline Ordioni.
Céline, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
In 2013, I moved from New York to Los Angeles to be an artist. After settling into the city and finding a job as a video editor, I rented an art studio downtown in Skid Row with the art collective formerly known as The LA Fort. I was quickly welcomed into the community and was so grateful to have a private space to create that was just for me. I spent about a year there doing mostly sculptural work, and participated in two group shows. Unfortunately, in 2014 the collective shut down, leaving me studioless. I searched for about a month and found a cute two-level space at The Hive Gallery on Spring and 8th St in DTLA.
Because it was also a gallery, I was hesitant to work on sculpture there in fear of making too much of a mess and damaging the other artwork that was displayed. Feeling restricted and uninspired, I moved into another space in Chinatown at the Big Art Factory.
There, I met a lot of amazingly talented artists and fabricators, not to mention my best friend had rented the studio a couple of doors down from me. Being around all of this creative energy got me inspired again and while there, I participated in two group shows at former Oddville Gallery on Main and 8th. I also had the opportunity to put my skills to good use by making a silicon piece for a Bastille music video. That was pretty cool.
Unfortunately, when the LAFD cracked down on artist spaces after the Oakland fires, we were forced to move again. My best friend and I decided to get a space together on Olympic and Alameda. After about five months of dealing with the inconvenience of getting down there, and my increasingly unstable freelancer income, I decided to move my studio into my apartment.
This became a really dark period of time for me creatively, and I didn’t make any art for about a year. Instead, I focused all my efforts on trying to fix a failing relationship and finding stability in the freelancer lifestyle. Feeling suffocated and fed up with my situation I ended my relationship and decided it was time for a real change.
With all of this new found energetic time, I became insanely inspired and got into painting and line illustration. I created an entire body of work in a matter of 6 months, and in February, I put together a solo show in the alleyway of Golden Saddle Cyclery in Silverlake. It was a huge success. The support I got from my friends, family, and random people on the street was super validating and I knew this was what I was supposed to be doing. From this, I was contacted by SALT Gallery and had a 1.5 month long group exhibition there.
After having a bunch of solo and group shows around LA, I decided I wanted to make art somewhere else for a little while, and so I applied to artist residencies in Europe. The application process was similar to applying to college, and out of the 12 I applied to, I got into a one-month program in Budapest, Hungary (which is where I currently am) and a three-month program in Leipzig, Germany starting in April 2020.
And here I am in Budapest creating art with a solo exhibition coming up at the end of the month, and I couldn’t be more excited. If you had told me 5 years ago that this is what I’d be doing, there’s no way I would have trusted myself to make that happen. I most certainly would not even be here without the support of LITERALLY everyone that I know coming to all my art shows, bringing their friends, and giving me the positive reinforcement to keep being my best me. There are no words to describe how appreciative, grateful, and humbled I am by that.
I used to always tell my friends, “When I’m a real artist I’m going to (Fill in the blank)”, and now looking back at where I was a year ago and seeing where I am now, I think I can stop saying that because I feel like a real artist, and it feels really really good.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
My work is based off observation, the human experience, and how I connect with others. This happens in two parts. The first part is the illustrating of blind line contour portraits of people I meet and see on a regular basis. The second is the creation of caption-based paintings and illustrations inspired by the immersion of my environment.
The underlying context of my work is about SEEING others. Growing up as the baby of the family where no one listens to you and then being in a relationship where I never truly felt seen, I make a really big deal about showing and telling others that I see them– and with social media allowing people to only show their “best selves”, It’s important to acknowledge that while yes, it’s great to show people we’re killing it, we are multi-faceted beings and it’s just as important to acknowledge and give support to the other part of ourselves that might not be killing it as much.
While blind contour drawing is not a new thing (it’s actually a very common exercise in art schools), when I do them I’m not just looking at my subjects on the surface. I’m absorbing their energy and their personality. It’s a pretty intimate experience on both ends. Think Marina Abramović’s “The Artist is Present”, but it takes about 1 minute, and at the end of it you get to take home a very abstract, yet uncanny version of yourself.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
My Aunt always told me that if you can’t get to what you want by going through the front door, there’s always a way in around the back, and I love LA for this reason. LA offers an insane amount of opportunity if you are willing to try the front, back, and side doors. The people I look up to the most here have made their success happen by trying every door (and window) that LA has to offer, and if you come here with purpose, vision, and an insane amount of determination, the doors will always present themselves.
However, I could continue to live a very nice life without having to see another bird/lime scooter ever again.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.celineordioni.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/celine.ordioni
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