Theresa Ortolani
Artist / Based in Brooklyn, NY
"Theresa Ortolani is that rare and particular type of artist who will not only consistently attempt to grow and define her work in ambitious and challenging ways, but she will ultimately succeed in making them happen – with an astute eye, instinctual, almost preternatural understanding, and with the grit and hard work necessary to bring them into the world." – Daniel Power, Founder powerHouse Books and NYPH
Brooklyn-Based Interdisciplinary Artist, Theresa Ortolani, is the winner of eight PDN and twenty six International Photography Awards in Fine Art, Storytelling, and Multimedia. A PDN 30 to Watch nominee, her work has been included in three New York Photo Festivals, the Seoul International Photo Festival, and it has been featured in several international publications.
Her first monograph, ENDURANCE (powerHouse Books, 2010), was named Best Photography Book by PDN and was recognized by International Photo Awards.
Limited edition artist book, [DE]COMPOSED, was a 2015 International Photography Award winner and was exhibited by The International Center for Photography MFA, Baxter St CCNY, and Klompching Gallery.
Forthcoming Immersive Artist Books – BOUND (2013-2014), Rapture (2013-2019), He Sees the Things he Knows are His (2015-2016), Granular Warp (2017-2019), are all anticipating 2020 release along with her first film, an experimental documentary feature, SAUDADE: Name of the Father.
Ortolani is a Ph.D candidate in the Philosophy, Art, and Critical Theory division at the European Graduate School with residencies in Switzerland and Malta. She was a Dean’s Scholar in the Bard-ICP MFA program and holds a BFA from Boston University's College of Fine Arts.
She lectured and developed visual literacy programs in conjunction with Ansel Adams Center for Photography / San Francisco Art Institute, TFA / NYU, SUNY, and she has been a visiting artist for the School of Visual Arts' Professional Practice series.
Ortolani’s Ph.D dissertation is being authored under the supervision of Judith Butler. Her area of research addresses liminality in self-reflexive cinema as it relates to her documentary feature, SAUDADE: Name of the Father, 2020