The Davidoff Art Initiative Presents the Inaugural Art in Lounges Program

The Dominican artist Fausto Ortiz has been selected as the inaugural artist to be featured in the Davidoff Lounges as part of the Art in Lounges program.

This program builds on Davidoff’s long-term commitment to bring recognition and greater international visibility to art and artists of the Caribbean region – a goal already pursued by the Davidoff Art Initiative’s Residencies, Grants, Dialogues, and Limited Art Editions. With this commitment in mind, the Davidoff Art Initiative, in association with Centro de la Imagen de Santo Domingo – the leading organization focusing on photography in the Dominican Republic – will present works by Fausto Ortiz in Davidoff lounges worldwide. Ortiz’s work will be on view in Davidoff stores globally, providing further exposure for Caribbean art on an International scale.

For a limited time, art works in the Art in Lounges series will be available for purchase directly at the Davidoff locations where they are on display. Proceeds from these sales will be shared with the exhibiting artists.

In describing his work, Fausto Ortiz has said: “My work is the result of living in and surviving a Caribbean context, where changes and geographical mobility are the norm. Art is the only democratic space for us as humans to discern and craft our ideas, regardless of socioeconomic level or political beliefs. It is the perfect platform to express your feelings towards certain situations that affect you deeply. Photography is the key that opens the door to that space and allows me to engage in a dialogue with my environment to express my point of view.”

About The Artist
Fausto Ortiz (b.1970, Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic) was interested in visual arts from an early age. After having his first artistic experiences at the School of Art and Design MCM, in 1990,he began to focus on photography in 1998 and has since evolved his own distinct style and vision based on experimentation and the search for new expressive codes. He is a member of Grufos, a photography collective from Santiago and has participated in workshops at the International Center of Photography in New York. Ortiz works and lives in the Dominican Republic, where he teaches photography at the PUCMM University, Campus of Santiago. His works are part of prestigious collections, including but not limited to: the Organization of American States (OAS), Washington, USA; Museo de Arte Moderno, Santo Domingo, D. R.; Centro E. León Jimenes, Santiago de los Caballeros, D. R.; and Luis Gutierrez and Carmen Bermúdez’s private collection, San Juan, P.R.

About The Art In Lounges Series
The Art in Lounges gives a further dimension to Davidoff’s efforts to heighten the visibility and exposure of the arts of the Caribbean by transforming spaces in Davidoff lounges worldwide into temporary exhibition displays. These occasional presentations will allow visitors to appreciate contemporary Caribbean art and purchase examples of the works on display.