ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Oree Originol is a multimedia visual artist who creates artwork to communicate ideas about personal and social / political issues. He was born on September 11, 1984 in Glendale, California where his parents met after migrating from Mexico in the 1970s. He grew up in the same house in North East Los Angeles until his early 20s. His neighborhood was marked by gang activity and drug addiction which made him acquire a sense of empathy and awareness of social issues that impacted his community. He discovered a passion for art at a young age and developed his creative skills through self study. As a teenager, he got involved in graffiti adopting the alias "Oree", which derived from the Spanish word, "orejas", meaning "ears", a childhood joke about his big ears as a kid. His last name, "Originol" was inspired by a streetwear clothing brand, ‘Joker’, that promoted west coast urban culture and sometimes included the text, "Original", in its designs. His full alias is in reference to his background growing up in the streets of Los Angeles.
In 2009, he moved to the Bay Area to expand his creative and personal development in a new environment. He broadened his skillset to include digital art, which played a significant role in 2014 when he launched his groundbreaking open source art project, 'Justice For Our Lives', a digital portrait series of 100 black and white portraits honoring individuals who were killed by US law enforcement since the beginning of the 21st century. The project has been widely reproduced and displayed in museums, classrooms, and public demonstrations against police brutality providing the visual backdrop for "Black Lives Matter" protests in The Bay Area. In 2020, the project was showcased at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC for "¡Printing the Revolution! The Rise and Impact of Chicano Graphics, 1965 to Now", a traveling exhibition that included The Amon Carter Museum, The Hood Museum, and The First Museum. It also showcased at the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Colombia, Vancouver, CAN for "XICANX Dreamers + Changemakers / Soñadores + creadores del cambio", also a traveling art show that included The Contemporary at Blue Star.
His primary body of artwork illustrates a unique vibrant world of figurative compositions. The central figures are usually human characters to effectively relate the human stories that are expressed in the work. His art style incorporates flat shapes as the building blocks of his visual content which is designed to translate similarly between multiple mediums like painting, digital art, stencils, and screen printing. The execution of his work strikes a balance between a measured and organic process that delivers a playful and cartoonish representation of his illustrations. Inspired by the legacy of social justice activism in The Bay Area, his work continues to engage community and bring awareness to a range of social issues through a racial lens that is informed by his experience as a "Chicano" artist from California.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I am a mixed media visual artist who creates artwork to disrupt narratives that uphold oppressive social structures. My creative arsenal includes acrylic painting, digital art, screen printing, stencils, and wheat paste street art, allowing me to engage with diverse audiences across various mediums. Community engagement plays a central role in my approach to art as a form of activism exemplified in my groundbreaking digital portrait series 'Justice For Our Lives'. In a separate body of work I illustrate a unique and vibrant world of figurative compositions that tell stories relevant to my personal life experience like racism, state sponsored violence, xenophobia, classism, climate crisis, and cultural identity among other social issues. Whether through large-scale public installations or intimate gallery exhibitions, I strive to create spaces for reflection, empowerment, and collective action. My work is fueled by a commitment to social justice and a belief in the transformative power of art to inspire change.
In 2014 I created 'Justice For Our Lives', a digital portrait series featuring 100 individuals who fell victim to fatal encounters with US law enforcement since the turn of the 21st century. Each portrait serves as a reminder of the pervasive issue of state-sponsored violence disproportionately targeting communities of color and other marginalized groups. Accessible for free download at oreeoriginol.art/justiceforourlives, these open-source digital graphics aim to democratize protest art, fostering visibility and demanding justice for the victims and their families through community engagement. The final piece to this project is a book that will serve as an informational resource giving critical insight into police brutality in the United States through the lens of 100 victims killed by law enforcement.
My primary body of work utilizes animated human figures as central characters allowing me to convey my thoughts and emotions effectively through their expressive forms. My creation of a figurative world composed of mostly flat shapes weaves together social and personal narratives into each piece, inviting viewers to engage with the multifaceted stories I seek to portray. My creative process begins with a sketch where I experiment and refine my composition until a finalized version is executed on a desired medium that I specialize in. Given that all of my work undergoes some form of digital processing, my proficiency with Adobe applications like Illustrator and Photoshop become essential in my creative workflow. I produce digital prints of every artwork I create and post them in public spaces to foster further engagement and dialogue within the community.
As I continue to create art that challenges social systems and amplify marginalized voices, I remain committed to pushing boundaries, fostering dialogue, building community and elevating underrepresented narratives. My 'Justice For Our Lives' content remains available on my website and continues to serve as an educational resource for a new generation of social activists while my overall art practice remains grounded in creative development as a technical artist and and as a human being. I strive to provoke critical reflection, empathy, understanding, and collective action towards a more equitable world.