Dania Maria Ortega Rodriguez was born in Paris, France in June 1978. Her parents, both Colombian, returned to their country 5 years later with little Dania in their arms, who quickly turned into a very curious, fully-fledged Colombian girl. She grew up in Bogotá, finishing her studies at the city´s Lycee Francaise.

Throughout her teenage years there was a lot of family adventures of the "magic realism" kind, typical of any average Colombian family. She thought about going for Literature, Teology and Political Science but finally decided on Fine Art since both her father and mother had passed on their artistic sensibilities.

She begins her Fine Art studies at "Jorge Tadeo Lozano" University, Bogota, in 1998, while at the same time starting work at a very peculiar place where folklore, magic and art weave into one colourful tapestry: the polemic restaurant "Andrés Carne de Res" (www.andrescarnederes.com), also known as a pagan's paradise.

"Andrés" has become a nationally and internationally renowned stablishment for its creative and flamboyant decor and its use of Colombian popular icons to create it, which reflects in great part the country´s idiosincracy. The vast array of objets d'art, murals, sculptures, installations and such make the place into a colourful and very Colombian temple of kitsch.

At the time when Dania started University she also starts as a waitress in the restaurant. A short while later the place´s " Boss", Andrés, invited her to be part of the creative department. From that moment on she starts to discover her true artistic self.

Four very productive years followed, where she filled the space with her works and created a whole graphic universe. She had free reign to do what she wanted to do. She acquired experience, awaking a new load of creative quests in her spirit.

An overseas trip changed her destiny.

Dania, thirsty of new things, thought of returning to her country of birth to see it with her own eyes, gain new knowledge and finish her degree. In that very Colombian way of hers, she didn't think it twice and left as if it was for a weekend trip. She stayed in Paris for a year, in which she took time to do some Philosophy studies, leaving then for a city much closer to home, if only in a spiritual level: Barcelona.

At arriving there she took a much-needed rest and then continued her Fine Art studies at the Universidad de Barcelona at the same time as she discovered all of Europe's surprises. After one thing and the other Dania finally finished her degree. She felt trimphant. Only she knew all the hard work that had been put into it.

Dania never stoped to do art, she works a lot to show to the world the product of her effort..
Thanks to all the peaple who has beleived in her.