Lucy Orta facts for kids

Lucy Orta (born in 1966 in Sutton Coldfield, England) is a famous English artist. She creates visual art and lives and works in London and Paris. She has lived in Paris since 1991.

Lucy Orta started her art career in 1991 after studying fashion design. Her art often explores how our bodies connect with buildings and spaces. She looks at ideas like communication and who we are through her sculptures.

Lucy Orta's Artworks

Lucy Orta is known for several interesting art projects. These projects often involve people and show how we connect with each other and our environment.

Early Works: Wearable Art

• Refuge Wear and Body Architecture (1992–1998): These were portable, lightweight structures. They were like wearable shelters or clothing that explored ideas of survival. Imagine wearing a small tent!
• Nexus Architecture (1994–2002): For this project, people wore special suits connected to each other. This created large, linked structures. It showed how people can connect and form a social group.
• Urban Life Guards (2004–ongoing): These are wearable objects that make us think about our bodies as structures that support us.

Exhibitions and Recognition

Lucy Orta's art has been shown in many big exhibitions around the world. These include shows in Vienna (1999), Tampa (2001), and the Barbican Art Gallery in London (2005). She has also participated in major art events called biennales in places like Venice, Havana, and Johannesburg. In 2013, she was a speaker at TED x WWF, sharing her ideas.

Part of Lucy and Jorge Orta's Antarctica exhibition

Working with Jorge Orta

In 1993, Lucy Orta started working with her partner, Jorge Orta. They often create art together. Their work frequently focuses on important topics like environmental sustainability and helping people in need.

Collaborative Projects

Some of their well-known joint artworks include:

• Connector
• OrtaWater
• 70 x 7 The Meal
• Antarctica
• Spirits

Their collaborative art has been featured in many major exhibitions. These include shows at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam (2006) and the Natural History Museum in London (2010). They also showed their work at the Shanghai Biennale (2012) and the MAXXI – National Museum of the 21st Century Arts in Rome (2012). In 2013, they created a huge artwork called Meteoros for London.

Awards and Contributions

In 2007, Lucy and Jorge Orta received the Green Leaf Award for Sculpture. This award recognized their excellent art that also carries an important environmental message. It was given by the United Nations Environment Programme.

Lucy Orta has also taught art and design. She holds a special position as Chair of Art and the Environment at University of the Arts London. She also helped start a master's program at the Design Academy Eindhoven. This program encourages students to create designs that help society and the environment.