The multi-disciplinary artist Harley Cortez presents his first exhibition at The Little House, weaving together migration, memory, and hope in a powerful collaboration with LA and David Lynch
By Art & Culture Editorial Staff
In a stroke of fashion and fine art, the Dries Van Noten Little House Gallery presents OJALÁ, an immersive exhibition by multi-disciplinary artist Harley Cortez. Opening today in Los Angeles, the show transforms the intimate space into a meditation on genetic memory and migration, blending paintings, sculptures, original music compositions, and collaborative film/video elements from LA and David Lynch.
The exhibition's works speak eloquently to themes of loss and resilience. In one striking painting, gestural figures emerge from a luminous backdrop of earth tones, punctuated by bold splashes of yellow and turquoise. Text fragments reading "MEXIC" appear alongside abstract forms, exploring themes of cultural identity and displacement. The work evokes both belonging and displacement, speaking to Cortez's exploration of how migration weaves itself into the fabric of genetic memory.
"I titled this exhibition OJALÁ because I wanted to invite hope into the conversation around our interdependence and how that is linked to our ancestral memory," explains Cortez. Born into a dual heritage, with roots in Los Angeles and his mother's native Guatemala, Cortez brings his own experience of cultural plurality into focus. His work, which has been shown across Los Angeles, NYC, Berlin, Mexico City, and Tokyo, consistently explores these international themes of genetic memory and migration.
The exhibition's timing resonates deeply with current events in Los Angeles. A portion of all sales will benefit Grief x Hope, an organization directly supporting artists impacted by the recent wildfires in LA. This act of community support aligns with both Cortez's artistic mission and Dries Van Noten's commitment to fostering creative dialogue beyond the realm of fashion.
Since its opening in October 2020, The Little House has become a vital cultural platform within Dries Van Noten's 8,500-square-foot Los Angeles flagship. While The Big House showcases the designer's current collections and archival pieces, The Little House is dedicated exclusively to presenting work by other creatives, positioning itself as a true cultural hub in the city's vibrant art scene.
Cortez's impressive body of work includes exhibitions at prestigious venues including the Tamayo Museum, Jumex Museum, Charlie James Gallery, and Maia Contemporary in Mexico City, while his first NYC solo show at Georges Bergès Gallery in 2022 was highly lauded. His 2016 Los Angeles exhibition The Poet as Spacemen at The Paper Agency Gallery demonstrated his boundary-pushing approach, featuring an immersive installation and Q&A with astrophysicists, cosmologists, and an astronaut from NASA and JPL.
OJALÁ runs from February 20 to March 20, 2025, at Dries Van Noten's The Little House Gallery in Los Angeles. With its powerful exploration of migration, memory, and collective healing through art, the exhibition creates a space where creativity and ancestral memory converge, offering hope and transformation in times of uncertainty.
Visit driesvannoten.com for more information about the exhibition and The Little House's ongoing program of cultural events.
Portrait by Jenna Putnam. Photography courtesy of Dries Van Noten.
