Biography 

José Ortega (born 1965, Guayaquil, Ecuador) 

José Ortega is an Ecuadorian visual artist and business owner based in Toronto. José holds a bachelor of fine arts from the School of Visual Arts in New York City (1988). In 1997, he immigrated to Toronto, and in 2002 he became the co-founder and artistic director of Lula Lounge, dedicated to hosting concerts, music sessions, and music jams of Latin American music and Latin jazz. His career has been informed by his active involvement in multidisciplinary platforms in Toronto. He is on the advisory board of Latin American-Canadian Art Projects (LACAP) and has hosted art events at Lula Lounge. He is the recipient of the 2010 Roy Thomson Hall Award of Recognition for his creative endeavours for the Latin American-Canadian community in Toronto through Lula Lounge. 

José Ortega’s studio work is based on designing, painting, and collages made digitally, on paper, and in murals. José uses vibrant colours and patterns to illustrate different thematics mixed with texts and images from newspaper and magazine cutouts into one ensemble. He has showcased in solo exhibitions thinkin’ one thing doing another at INDEXG Gallery Shop, Toronto (2012). José’s work has also been part of the collective exhibitions Ciclo with Marcelo Suaznabar at Sheldon Rose Gallery (2018), Nuit Blanche Toronto (2013), and the 2013 Art Toronto fair. Ortega’s designs have been commissioned by Absolut Vodka, Apple Computers, and MTV, among others.