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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.
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