christopher cobillas-ottinger

Instagram: fac3_4_rad10

Website: http://christopherottinger.com

Bio: christopher cobillas-ottinger (he/him) is an artist and educator currently residing in oakland, ca. he earned his mfa in visual arts from washington university in st. louis and his ba at columbia college chicago in film/video directing. cobillas-ottinger's artistic interests include moving image, sound, analog media, interactive media, media theory + history. his art has been exhibited internationally, at galleries + institutions such as the mildred lane kemper art museum, laumeier sculpture park, the museum london in ontario, canada, ucla's cnsi gallery in collaboration with patricia olynyk, acre projects in chicago, and the chicago artists coalition. he has taught moving image, digital art, and sound at such institutions as the school of the art institute of chicago, the kentucky college of art + design, and san josé state university. he is currently assistant professor of digital media art and program director of art + art history at saint mary's college of california. when he is not teaching or making art, christopher enjoys cooking, playing music, and rigorously maintaining his entirely monochromatic wardrobe.

Statement: The excavation of the past has been a persistent touchstone in my research and practice as an artist, particularly through the lens of Media Archaeology. I am drawn to obscure histories, idiosyncratic technologies, and the notion that things-in-themselves are often more complex than we presume them to be. I typically employ a variety of media forms, including moving image, photography, installation, sound, and interactive media, to establish a poetic dialogue between past and present. I frequently hybridize digital and analog processes and would describe my process of making as alchemical in nature (although, “failed scientist” would be equally appropriate). The subject of my work ranges from interrogations of the mediums of moving image and photography, the history of media technology and cinema, and explorations of perception with a sci-fi twist. Regardless of the specific subject, it is ever my goal to create work that raises questions concerning our shared relationship to media and technology. By examining our collective media past, it is possible that we might make some sense of our media present as we navigate its potential future.