'Delayed' reaction Artist brings travels abroad to his gallery in JC
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His new exhibit, Delayed Live brings Oro's recent world travels to locals, so the audience can appreciate his experiences.
"While I was in South Africa, the African Cup was going on," says Oro, who said that the idea for the exhibit's title came from watching matches labeled as "Delayed Live." This meant that if a match started at 6 p.m. in the host country of Ghana, the network would air the match maybe four hours later, he says. "They're saying it's live, but it's delayed - it almost doesn't make sense."
But, it was this paradox that inspired Oro's video installation, which he describes in terms of that inspiration: "It's Soweto [a township in southwest South Africa] versus Amsterdam in a soccer match."
Traveling far and wide for his art
This exhibit showcases Oro's perspective and impressions of a grand and recent journey.
"It's a video installation with some images that were either inspired by the video or extracted from the video itself, and turned into separate art pieces," Oro says. "The whole concept of the show came to me after I made two trips back to back. The first was to Amsterdam and London, and the second was to South Africa and Botswana."
Working as an engineering and design consultant, Oro takes charge of his life, always trying to keep his schedule flexible to allow for the travels that enrich him and his art.
In the past, Oro's artistic wanderlust has taken him to Belize, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Spain, and Nigeria, where his family has its roots.
Though, Oro was born in the U.S., and his impressive resume includes a bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, and a master's in Product Design from Stanford University, where he cultivated an interest in new media art.
Where else in the world has Eto Oro been? How about working for an artist in Venice? Or participating in a show about African Art and Asian globalization at Gettysburg College? All of this is in addition to his residency at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, a show at Gallery M in Harlem, and showing his work around Boston.
"I'm a media artist, so I always carry a camera with me wherever I go," he says, adding that he gathers music and makes new friends everywhere he goes as well. "I see myself as someone who's constantly collecting information, and when I come back to the studio, I comb through it and see what I can find."
Though his travels dot the globe, Oro's latest trips obviously had a great impact.
"For me, being in those four countries back to back - it was a bit life changing, very exciting, very inspiring."
Delayed Live represents those experiences visually, and he likens it to being a DJ and weaving together a fluid stream of his journey.
Oro said that he had many ideas while abroad, but couldn't start working on them until he came home, which worked out well in the end.
"I was having a lot of fun and growing as an artist while I was out there," he said.
Brand new to the Jersey City arts scene
A play on Eto's name - his full name being Eto Samuel Oro, or E.S. Oro - es ORO has meaning in other languages, since oro means gold in his parents' native tongue and in Spanish, and he says part of its significance in translation is that it could be an explanation or a question.
Born in Buffalo, N.Y., Oro lived in Miami for three years, but he longed to return to the Northeast.
"On my way up here, I was thinking I would be living in New York, but then a friend of mine told me about the space I'm in now, that there was the potential for me to open my own gallery here."
But es ORO isn't going to be all Oro all the time.
"I only plan on showing my work here once a year, and then it'll be different artists or group shows."
When Oro opened the gallery during the Jersey City Artists' Studio Tour, he got to mix with the local artist community.
"The response was phenomenal," he says. "It was good for me, because I was very new to the area then. It was a way for me to have an open house, and get to know the artists and get to know what's going on and what the artists here are concerned about. For me, it was a great introduction."
Oro says that it's not easy, however, being the new gallery owner in town. "I'm not from Jersey City, [so] I've got to get around and get to know a lot of artists, and get them to know me."
But Oro is finding the hearts and minds of local artists, listening to their concerns, like those regarding accessibility for local talent, whereas real estate and gallery space is concerned, is essential for the city's arts scene, Oro believes.
The gallery is open eight months out of the year and is closed in January, February, July, and August so he has time for his own art.
"I'm an artist first, and a gallerist, I guess you could say, second."
Nevertheless, Oro has a group show planned in May and an exhibit entitled 'Elemental' Truth + Lies of Existence curated by Diana Cordoba upcoming in June.
es ORO is located at 107 Brunswick St. between First and Second avenues. Gallery hours are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. and by appointment. For more information, call (201) 763-6129.
Comments on this story can be sent to Mpaul@hudsonreporter.com.
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