Through his humanistic approach to photography and film, Carlos Javier Ortiz immerses us in dramatic protests, emotional ceremonies, and historical events that mark our current moment.
The Chicago-based photographer and filmmaker was born in Puerto Rico and makes work that critically examines life in urban centers, often through the lens of personal narrative. His practice is guided by a dedication to social justice and human rights, telling visual stories that help viewers comprehend current events and issues through both still and moving images.
Ortiz’s solo exhibition, Inherit America, opens at Riverside Arts Center this month. Curated by Laura Husar Garcia, the bold selection of images chronicles political activism and community portraits that shed light on everyday people’s fights for justice and equity.
“What makes Ortiz’s work so necessary is its resistance to spectacle,” Garcia says in a statement, continuing:
He does not chase moments of crisis. He stays. He returns. He photographs the waiting, the recovery, the daily life that continues regardless of headlines. That is where his strength lies—in showing us not just the event, but the system around it.
Inherit America highlights Ortiz’s art in its dual form as advocacy, sharing perspectives and stories that we don’t often see from large-scale, legacy media outlets. He builds trust with the individuals and communities he works alongside, recording the intensity of nighttime demonstrations, the inherent beauty of cooperation, or the quietude and reflection that follows major events.
Ortiz turns his lens to people, gatherings, and locations that reflect historically marginalized communities and people of color. We see derelict, abandoned grocery stores in urban “food deserts,” where underserved residents have access to fast food but no easy access to fresh produce or healthy food options. And he shows us momentous inflection points in recent history, like protests in St. Louis against Michael Brown’s death at the hands of police officer Darren Wilson. Ortiz captures the moment 24 hours before Wilson’s acquittal by a grand jury, which spurred rioting.
“In an era when representation is so easily manipulated, Inherit America models a different kind of authorship—one that is reciprocal, ethical, and rooted in place,” Garcia says. “It asks viewers not just to look, but to stay in the tension. To wrestle with what it means to belong to a country still defining itself. This exhibition is not simply about the America we see. It’s about the American we participate in shaping.”
Inherit America opens on September 14 and continues through October 18 in Riverside—just about 25 minutes east of the Chicago Loop. Explore more on Ortiz’s website.
