Lotus Leaves by Gabriel Orozco

As established by Sam Francis, The Lapis Press' prime directive has always been a creative collaboration with artists to realize their unique vision. Gabriel Orozco's 2004 Lotus Leaves series began as classic chine collé prints but took on another life as the work evolved through the creative dialogue between Orozco and Lapis.

Gabriel Orozco CV

Lotus Leaves (Half Leaf), 2004

... what is important is not so much what people see in the gallery or the museum, but what people see after looking at these things, how they confront reality again. Really great art regenerates the perception of reality; the reality becomes richer, better or not, just different.

- Gabriel Orozco
Details Matter
Gabriel Orozco's interest in the natural world and its relationship with humans inspired him to have actual lotus leaves etched into the printing plates, creating a man made yet true rendering of the leaf. Every vein, tear, and insect bite was captured and imprinted on special custom milled Gampi paper matching the hues of the leaf. The proofs were made as chine collé soft ground etchings, individually cut to the shape of each leaf and adhered to a heavy fine art paper.

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Quarter Leaf.
Lotus Leaves (The Full Leaf), 2004

A Delicate Specimen

While working on the edition, Orozco felt the proofs lacked the organic authenticity he originally envisioned. He had a revelation while holding one of the tissue thin leaf prints up to the window: the exquisite purity that he was seeking was best displayed deconstructed, suspended in glass and illuminated all around like a delicate specimen.
Lotus Leaves (Quarter Leaf), 2004

The Lapis Press collaborated with Gabriel Orozco to find a method inspired by displaying medical samples for mounting the tissue-thin etchings. The somewhat unorthodox technique used for this edition was an exciting challenge that resulted in a series of lifelike images that honors the natural world.
Gabriel Orozco
Mexico, B. 1962
Gabriel Orozco grew up in Mexico City in the cultural milieu of the Mexican left which was linked to muralism, photography and the political literature of the sixties and seventies. He studied at the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plasticas at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico and the Circulo de Bellas Artes in Madrid. He currently lives and works mainly in Tokyo and Mexico City. Orozco has had solo exhibitions at many notable institutions, and has been the recipient of numerous awards and has participated in the Venice Biennale several times (2017, 2005, 2003, and 1993) and Documenta (2002, and 1997).

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