May 7, 2008
Dream: September 2006
Video DVD
Miguel Cortez, 2006

“I woke up today at about 5am with a weird vivid dream. In the dream I was at work and our building was going thru some evacuation procedure so since I work on the 5th floor we had to walk down the stairs but when we got to the 3rd floor a group of us noticed the stairway and floor had changed since the last time we walked down. Someone said it was because of the new Indian owners and it had to do with Bollywood. So we had to go down a different route and upon walking thru some corridors and down more stairs we came across this huge room; the first floor I assume. And in this room there were people sleeping but sleeping stacked on top of each other; inside mounds of earth, like mini-hills and their bodies were inside except for the head and one on top of another with some space in between each. And on the floor was about 2 feet of water with feces and urine, so in order to get to the exit we had to walk thru it. And when I walked several feet I woke up…looked at my cell phone, four fifty eight am.”
Recycle Your Ideas
Recycle your ideas photo documentation miguel cortez, 2006 art statement: Recycling is used to describe a series of activities that includes collecting recyclable materials that would otherwise be considered waste, sorting and processing recyclables into raw materials and manufacturing the raw materials into either making the same product(closed loop) or new products(open loop). An example of open-loop recycling is using plastic bottles to make pipes. Artists use these processes all the time. Some come up with an idea and create work using a certain style/media and repeat this for a long time to please his/her commercial gallery/collectors(this is closed loop recycling).While others may gather old ideas, twist and turn them, throw them up in the air and some new concept pops up(open loop recycling).
Recycle your ideas
photo documentation
miguel cortez, 2006

art statement:
Recycling is used to describe a series of activities that includes collecting recyclable materials that would otherwise be considered waste, sorting and processing recyclables into raw materials and manufacturing the raw materials into either making the same product(closed loop) or new products(open loop). An example of open-loop recycling is using plastic bottles to make pipes. Artists use these processes all the time. Some come up with an idea and create work using a certain style/media and repeat this for a long time to please his/her commercial gallery/collectors(this is closed loop recycling).While others may gather old ideas, twist and turn them, throw them up in the air and some new concept pops up(open loop recycling).
2006 City of Chicago Displacement Map Digital print (36” x 54”) Miguel Cortez, 2006Chicago has been going through many transformations the past 30 years. It is going through a reversal of the past american dream(white middle class) to live in the suburbs with your white picket fence and 2.5 kids while the people of color and lower class stayed within their boundaries in the inner-city. What has been happening now is that the people of color and lower class have been slowly displaced away from anywhere that is close to the lake. They are being pushed outwards and south. They are promised better housing in return for the land, but what are they really getting?…This print wias shown in a group show april 2006 entitled “Entorno: Grass grows greener on the other side: and this print was reviewed in ArtUS Magazine out of California. See a PDF here
2006 City of Chicago Displacement Map
Digital print (36” x 54”)
Miguel Cortez, 2006

Chicago has been going through many transformations the past 30 years. It is going through a reversal of the past american dream(white middle class) to live in the suburbs with your white picket fence and 2.5 kids while the people of color and lower class stayed within their boundaries in the inner-city. What has been happening now is that the people of color and lower class have been slowly displaced away from anywhere that is close to the lake. They are being pushed outwards and south. They are promised better housing in return for the land, but what are they really getting?…

This print wias shown in a group show april 2006 entitled “Entorno: Grass grows greener on the other side:

and this print was reviewed in ArtUS Magazine out of California. See a PDF here

lies that Bill Gates told me digital print 2005 miguel cortez  This is a digital print installation which took place in Melbourne Australia August 2005. The manipulated digital work is of a photograph of Bill Gates suppossedly during a traffic violation circa late 1970s.
lies that Bill Gates told me
digital print
2005 miguel cortez 

This is a digital print installation which took place in Melbourne Australia August 2005. The manipulated digital work is of a photograph of Bill Gates suppossedly during a traffic violation circa late 1970s.
war criminal part 2 100 stickers pasted all over Detroit, Michigan public art project 2004 miguel cortez
war criminal part 2
100 stickers pasted all over Detroit, Michigan
public art project
2004 miguel cortez
” Pilsen for sale” 100 stickers pasted all over Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood 2004 Miguel Cortez The inspiration for this sticker came about when I was reading an article regarding the plan by the Concord Homes Inc.’s (with the support of Alderman Danny Solis) to build a a high-end housing project from 16th street to 18th street and Peoria Avenue. Specifically, this developer wanted to create a residential community comprised of thirteen buildings containing a total of 132 residential condominium dwelling units. Each dwelling would have included two bedrooms and two baths running from $280,000 and up. The organization Pilsen Alliance created a coalition of community organizations and community residents to oppose the project. Over 200 community residents were mobilized in a short period of time to advocate against the project at a community meeting held by Alderman Danny Solis and Concord Homes. Currently, the project is “dead” due to the organizing of the community against the project. It was an historic victory for a community that is feeling development pressures from all sides in the neighborhood.

” Pilsen for sale”
100 stickers pasted all over Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood
2004 Miguel Cortez


The inspiration for this sticker came about when I was reading an article regarding the plan by the Concord Homes Inc.’s (with the support of Alderman Danny Solis) to build a a high-end housing project from 16th street to 18th street and Peoria Avenue. Specifically, this developer wanted to create a residential community comprised of thirteen buildings containing a total of 132 residential condominium dwelling units. Each dwelling would have included two bedrooms and two baths running from $280,000 and up. The organization Pilsen Alliance created a coalition of community organizations and community residents to oppose the project. Over 200 community residents were mobilized in a short period of time to advocate against the project at a community meeting held by Alderman Danny Solis and Concord Homes. Currently, the project is “dead” due to the organizing of the community against the project. It was an historic victory for a community that is feeling development pressures from all sides in the neighborhood.

the only bush i trust is my own 200 stickers pasted all over Chicago public art project 2003 miguel cortez
the only bush i trust is my own
200 stickers pasted all over Chicago
public art project
2003 miguel cortez
Homeland Security Wallet Wallet and boxes Miguel Cortez 2003  Homeland Security Wallet is a play on the consumerism and propaganda that we are constantly bombarded with through the government controlled corporate US Media. This monster tries to control our needs and emotions by manipulating our feelings through fear and deception. From the Sept. 11 massacre discrepancies that are not investigated as to how much the government knew, to the sudden disappearance of Bin Laden in the news being replaced with a new media manufactured “evil”(Saddam) in a matter of several months. I say buy duct tape and why not protect your cash from terrorists?

Homeland Security Wallet
Wallet and boxes
Miguel Cortez
2003 

Homeland Security Wallet is a play on the consumerism and propaganda that we are constantly bombarded with through the government controlled corporate US Media. This monster tries to control our needs and emotions by manipulating our feelings through fear and deception. From the Sept. 11 massacre discrepancies that are not investigated as to how much the government knew, to the sudden disappearance of Bin Laden in the news being replaced with a new media manufactured “evil”(Saddam) in a matter of several months. I say buy duct tape and why not protect your cash from terrorists?