Cover Story

© Virgil Ortiz, 2024

Po’pay, Leader of the Pueblo Revolt, 2024; photography, digital, & mixed media.

The Revolution Will be Sculpted

Virgil Ortiz molds the future from ancient clay

by

Some might call Virgil Ortiz a multimedia artist, but that doesn’t quite convey the scope of the Cochiti Pueblo creator’s work.

On one hand, Ortiz might be best known as a potter who embraces the old techniques passed down by his family and his people. In other ways, however, as shown through his forays into augmented and virtual reality, photography, interior design, jewelry making and fashion, he has one foot firmly planted in contemporary and still-emerging methods of new media and artistry.

These days, though, Ortiz’s main project is the ongoing and nomadic exhibition series Revolt 1680/2180, a sprawling and growing set of installations that have appeared across venues in various parts of the US and abroad, including locally in Santa Fe’s Meow Wolf and the Vladem Contemporary satellite wing of the New Mexico Museum of Art. A combination of historical and fictional narratives based both in the real-life perils of the 1680 Pueblo Revolt and an imagined and simultaneously-occurring Indigenous Futurist version of that conflict, Ortiz not only helps shed light on an oft-neglected chapter of American history, but he re-contextualizes the story to showcase what can and should be obvious: The oppressed have every right to fight back.

With the 344th anniversary of the Pueblo Revolt falling on Saturday, Aug. 10, Ortiz has partnered with the CONTAINER contemporary art space in the Baca Street Railyard to open the next chapter in his Revolt project. Daybreak of the Resistance will unveil more of Ortiz’s Revolt story, including new characters and branching storylines. But in order to better understand where Ortiz’s story may be heading, a look back is in order.

Groundwork of an Odyssey

Ortiz’s creative path began in the clay-scented air of his childhood home of Cochiti Pueblo, where pottery was practically as essential as breathing. The youngest of six children, Ortiz had begun making pottery with his family by the time he was six years old. His grandmother Laurencita Herrera and mother Seferina Ortiz were both esteemed potters, and each bestowed upon him their singular techniques and refined disciplines.

“My siblings and I grew up in a family of potters. We were surrounded by art and I had no idea…I thought everyone made pottery,” Ortiz recalls. “Our parents always supported us, like, 111%. They never forced it on us.”

Ortiz’s early immersion in time-honored Cochiti craftsmanship provided him with an intuitive grasp of materials and styles while laying the groundwork for his future (and futuristic) artistic inquiries. The creation of traditional Cochiti pottery, Ortiz notes, is grounded in communal ritual and strongly embedded in the land.

“Our cousins and our family would gather all the materials together,” he says. “We would go into the mountains to get clay, then go off into another part of the mountains to get the temper, then the wild spinach.”

Wild spinach is a hallmark of Ortiz’s particular pottery-making process.

“It’s as old as it gets,” he notes of its usage, one that generates the unique black paint Ortiz uses to decorate his pottery.

According to Ortiz, these familial expeditions into the rugged New Mexico terrain occurred over two-week periods, during which wild spinach flowers were laboriously amassed, boiled down, strained and boiled again for days. The approach is ancient, Ortiz says, and could produce enough paint for use over the coming year. The journey also embodied a slow-paced and deliberate process that highlights Ortiz’s level of artistic sincerity.

Ortiz’s path to becoming a full-time artist, however, would come later during a pivotal encounter with Robert V Gallegos, a well-known gallerist, collector and author.

“It’s a story I always tell in my lectures, because it’s the biggest moment in my life,” Ortiz says. “I was about 16 when [my parents and I] went to Robert Gallegos’ showroom in Albuquerque. At that time, we’d never gone to his gallery, because Bob would always come to our house and buy work. But when Bob visited that day, he asked my parents, ‘Who’s teaching this kid how to do all this crazy stuff that you guys have never done before?’ My parents replied, ‘Well, he’s just doing it, like, experimenting.’ That’s when Bob asked them to bring me to his shop.”

When they visited Gallegos, Ortiz says, he and his parents were amazed by his extensive collection of antique Cochiti clay figures known as mono—stylized figurative sculptures that functioned as social commentary, satire and critique of non-Native visitors who often came into New Mexico by rail to visit the Pueblos.

“We flipped out because of how all these pieces from the 1800s looked exactly like the work I was doing,” Ortiz says. “My parents quickly pulled me outside and told me, ‘Remember this day because we didn’t teach you any of this. We didn’t even know these pieces existed. It’s the clay speaking to you and through you. It’s your ancestors speaking.’ It was a life-changing moment, being that young. From that day on, I knew that I was going to dedicate my life to clay.”

Recognizing the young artist’s talent, Gallegos allowed Ortiz to handle and examine the historical pieces closely.

“Bob said to me, ‘I put your stuff under a microscope and looked at what you’re doing. It’s the same exact materials that do the same thing,” Ortiz recounts. “Look at one from the 1800s and look at yours; it has the same crackle in it in the same way.”

Narrative Cosmos

Today, Ortiz’s work is wildly imaginative, though anchored in real-life history, with the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 serving as a wellspring for the expansive narrative universe of his ongoing repertoire. The sometimes-overlooked historical event has become a launching pad of sorts for Ortiz, with the project evolving to span and include multiple theoretical timelines and dimensions, as well as numerous characters culled both from real life and Ortiz’s imagination. He’s shown elements from the project at venues like the Autry Museum in Los Angeles, the Albuquerque Museum, Triannale Milano in Italy, the History Colorado Center in Denver and others, and later this week, Ortiz will open another selection at CONTAINER, the contempo offshoot of Canyon Road’s Turner Carroll Gallery.

And though the exhibit will merge the traditional milieu of ceramics with decidedly modern elements such as projection mapping and AR, its origins lie firmly in historical contexts, both real and imagined.

“[The Pueblo Revolt is] America’s first revolution, but it’s not addressed like that,” Ortiz notes. “It’s not in our textbooks, our history, because of the genocide that happened.”

For Ortiz, however, the history of the Pueblo Revolt has maintained its staying power. Revolt is about sharing some of that history, ultimately, though the provenance of its structure comes from an unexpected place: Star Wars.

“I memorized every character,” Ortiz says of seeing the George Lucas films as a kid. “Where they came from, what kind of ships they had, how they spoke and especially what they wore—its influence on me was huge.”

In fact, Ortiz’s overarching storytelling prowess often leans heavily upon his love of science fiction, from Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica to more modern films like Prometheus. When it comes to science fiction, Ortiz says, he has carried a similar world-building ethos into anything and everything he devises.

Ortiz’s Revolt universe teems with a diverse cast of characters, each as vividly realized as figures from the age-old mythologies that inspire so much sci-fi. Take The Translator in Revolt, for instance, whom Ortiz describes as “a spiritual entity that can communicate with the present, past and the future.”

“He’s the one that’s connecting to everybody,” Ortiz says.

Other characters abound, like the Recon Watchmen, who are stationed around the world and keep watch over the Pueblo peoples. Then there are the Sirens, who are “bodyguards of all children,” according to Ortiz; plus the Runners + Gliders Omtua and Catua, who are able to hide within time itself.

“They deliver messages and information to the Recon Watchmen,” Ortiz explains.

In total, Revolt counts 19 sets of characters representing the 19 Pueblos in New Mexico, and Ortiz has slowly been unveiling them one set at a time, each with their own exhibition at a different venue.

Central to the Revolt narrative is Po’Pay, the real-life leader from Ohkay Owingeh who led the Pueblo Revolt against the Spaniards in 1680. That it happened at all is borderline miraculous. With multiple communities and languages spanning hundreds of miles taking part in the uprising, Po’Pay managed to unite them by delivering knotted ropes to various leaders. The knots represented days before the revolt, with one being undone each day until the uprising. These ropes were sent by runners, two of whom were caught, tortured and killed, leading to Po’Pay starting the revolt earlier than planned. The Spanish people were caught off guard and, when the dust settled, some 400 were dead, including nearly two dozen priests. The Pueblo Revolt kept the invaders at bay for a dozen years afterward, allowing the Pueblo peoples time to preserve parts of their culture that would otherwise likely have been wiped out. As most New Mexicans know, though, the Spaniards returned to retake the land. Even so, Po’Pay’s actions made an indelible impression on American history. He clearly impacted Ortiz as well.

“Po’Pay devised the plan for the revolt, and I imagined him having a sidekick, Tahu,” Ortiz says. “Tahu is what grandmothers call their granddaughters, so when you’re in a household, you’ll hear that a lot.”

In Ortiz’s Revolt, the character Tahu embodies the spirit and resilience of Pueblo women and is the leader of the Blind Archers, an army in constant battle with their colonial oppressors, the Castilians. More broadly, Ortiz relates a profound reverence for the role of women in Pueblo society throughout Revolt.

“Nobody understands how much of a role women play in our society and how they’re the backbone of it,” Ortiz says. “It’s all based on women’s empowerment, but also the acknowledgment of what happened to our people.”

This intricate web of personas and storylines serves a dual purpose: to captivate and educate while preserving and transmitting cultural knowledge.

Indigenous Futurisms

The Indigenous Futurism movement, now commonly referred to as Indigenous Futurisms, is steadily gaining increased recognition in the broader art world, and Ortiz’s pioneering work is at its forefront. The movement covers a wide spectrum of genres, from visual arts and literature to video games and film. Its basic premise, first coined by author Grace Dillon in 2003, is an attempt to describe the artistic movement while conceptualizing an alternative future that includes an uninterrupted cultural continuity for all Indigenous peoples.

Ortiz’s vision of a future that honors and incorporates Indigenous knowledge and practices offers a compelling alternative to mainstream sci-fi plots that often exclude or marginalize perspectives from non-white characters. But Indigenous creators have more seats at the table now than even a decade ago, including in popular culture via television shows like Reservation Dogs and Rutherford Falls, or in video games like Trail of Ayash or This Land is My Land. With decades of his own in the art world and a practice that spans so many mediums, Ortiz can easily be considered a progenitor of Indigenous Futurisms and, he says, he’s glad to see its tenets expanding.

“It’s great that more and more new artists are doing it,” he says. “It’s cool to see that it’s catching on.”

As he continues to expand his scope of expression, Ortiz invites viewers to explore a world where ancient custom and futuristic dreams converge, forging a unique and powerful vocabulary that speaks to both his roots and everyone’s collective futures.

From Clay to Couture

Ortiz’s artistic vision extends beyond pottery and storytelling into the realm of fashion, interior design and product development. A pivotal moment in his fashion career came in 2002 when Donna Karan visited Santa Fe for Indian Market. She stumbled upon Ortiz’s since-closed boutique HEAT and Ortiz, knowing a good thing when he saw it, showed Karan his pottery. According to Ortiz, Karan told him that nothing happens by chance—then proceeded to buy out his entire collection.

That serendipitous encounter led to a 2003 collaboration with Karan for a clothing collection featuring Ortiz’s exceptional and boldly patterned textiles based on Pueblo pottery motifs. He’d known how to sew since high school, but Ortiz quickly learned the ropes of fashion production, and even launched his own line, VO Creations, which today includes jewelry carried by the Smithsonian Institution.

Ortiz has also since entered the interior design and product development realms. Through partnerships with design companies like Project Dynamics, he has created a wide array of home decor items, from mirrors to duvets, each imbued with his elegant sensibilities.

The Digital Frontier

Ortiz’s philosophy is characterized by a commitment to perpetual growth and experimentation.

“I like to set intentions and goals as high as I can, right? Because most people only set it here,” he says, gesturing to indicate a low bar. “And then when they do that, they plateau. But I’m, like, way the hell up here. I just keep on going, constantly learning and trying new things.”

Of late, this includes the exploration of digital tech as an artistic medium, particularly 3D modeling and AR. Ortiz’s recent forays into 3D modeling began with a 2023 teaching engagement at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, California, and have opened up new avenues for breathing life into his Revolt characters. It’s also a chance to work with digital artists like Alex Sokol, whose knack for AR has led to a collaboration with Ortiz wherein formerly static images leap into the third dimension for anyone with a smartphone.

Ortiz also recently completed his first screenplay. Unsurprisingly, Revolt 1680/2180 focuses on a version of the Pueblo Revolt that unfolds simultaneously in three different times: 1680, the present day and 2180.

“Some of us come back from 2180 to present time, to historic time; to collect our language, our art, our songs, our ceremonies, our way of life,” Ortiz says. “My original prayer was to have people understand what was going on, because what we began more than two decades ago had never before been seen. People would ask, ‘What the hell are you doing with aliens and all this weird stuff?’ It’s all tied to the film script.”

Ortiz has also been working with musicians to create audio and musical pieces to accompany the Revolt narrative.

A Medium of Temporal Exploration

Throughout his career, Ortiz has maintained a delicate equilibrium between honoring his heritage and pushing past present-day barriers. His work represents more than just an artistic vision—it embodies a movement toward reclaiming and reimagining Indigenous histories within the contemporary art world. By fusing Cochiti pottery design with cutting-edge digital technologies, Ortiz challenges preconceived notions of Indigenous art and life. His dedication to varying media demonstrates the versatility and adaptability of these traditions and serves as a powerful reminder that cultural histories are not static relics, but living, breathing entities.

By the same token, Ortiz’s success in the fashion and design worlds challenges stereotypes while opening doors for other Indigenous artists. His ability to deftly navigate multiple spaces serves as an inspiration and a model for emerging artists from marginalized communities.

His approach has potential applications beyond the art world, too. Merging traditional crafting methods with modern technologies could inspire new concepts for sustainable design, for example, as well as cultural preservation and education. The immersive storytelling methods he employs, particularly in his AR projects, hint at new possibilities for museums and institutions to engage visitors with anything from traditional paintings and sculpture to new media and historical sagas.

“Virgil is a dream artist for us to work with, because his work is coming from a place that creates real change and improves Pueblo peoples’ lives by showing them opportunity for whatever future they want,” CONTAINER gallery co-founder Tonya Turner Carroll says. “His sincerity in his mission of honoring traditional techniques and practicing them, as well as his steadfast commitment to educating people about the Pueblo Revolt—which is notoriously absent from history books...I feel he is doing something to correct the historical record, and I wanted to support that wholeheartedly. We turned over the whole CONTAINER space to him and said he could do anything he wanted.”

The educational aspect of Ortiz’s work cannot be overstated. By incorporating historical events like the Pueblo Revolt into his ongoing projects, he brings attention to underrepresented chapters of American history. Ortiz’s work invites viewers to consider their relationships with history and identity while challenging everyone to imagine a world wherein the wisdom of the past informs and enriches a collective understanding of the future. Ortiz doesn’t simply create art—he conjures possibilities.

Virgil Ortiz: Revolt 1680/2180: Daybreak of the Resistance Opening 5-7 pm Saturday, Aug. 10. Free.

Artist Talk with Virgil Ortiz 3 pm Thursday, Aug. 15. Free.CONTAINER, 1226 Flagman Way, (505) 995-0012