Pepe Ozan

Pepe Ozan
Photo by Melitta Tchaicovsky
Born	Pepe Ozan 31 January 1939 Mendoza, Argentine
Died	8 April 2013
Known for	Sculptor, Art Director and Filmmaker

Pepe Ozan, Sculptor and Burning Man Artist (1939-2013) was a sculptor who worked in the Black Rock Desert before Burning Man moved there in 1990 and for many years thereafter. This image was taken in 1998 as he and I (Leo Nash) unloaded the remnants of the Temple of Rudra at a dump beyond the edge of the Playa.

Pepe Ozan (1939–2013)^[1] was an Argentine sculptor, artistic director and a filmmaker.^[2][3]

Biography

Burning Man Operas

Ozan directed several large-scale ritual performance art pieces, at the Burning Man Arts Festival between 1996 and 2002. Starting in 1994 he created a series of Operas that through the years have grown to host 200 participants and 30 musicians performing for an audience of 50000 people. In 1996: "The Arrival of Empress Zoe"; In 1997: "The Daughters of Ishtar"; in 1998: "The Temple of Rudra"; In 1999: "Le Mystere de Papa Loko", a ritual performance based on Haitian Voodoo; In 2000: "The Thar-Taurs of Atlan"; and in 2002: "The Ark of the Nereids".

Interview of Pepe Ozan discussing how he discovered the artwork which brought about the creation of the Burning Man Operas.

In addition to founding the Burning Man Opera, Pepe designed and constructed his sculptures, which served as the stage for the performances. At the climax of each performance, the stage was dramatically set on fire and burned to the ground.^{[4][5][6][7] [8]}

Sculptures/Design

In 1988 Pepe Ozan met Todd Wilson and together they created a successful furniture design company, Enos Metalworks.^[9] The style of polished curved metal furniture was a signature of their design. Enos Metalworks also designed several retail projects for the GAP, Banana Republic, and in collaboration with Seidman Woodworks designed Eye Gotcha Optometry in the Castro district of San Francisco.^[10]

In 2004 the San Francisco Art Commission sponsored Pepe to create a public sculpture, Invocation, located at Cesar Chavez St. between Vermont St. and Francisco St. The piece represents an Eagle-Warrior, an institution that survived 2000 years throughout MesoAmerica's civilizations until the arrival of the conquistadores.^[11] This Eagle Warrior is invoking the gods.^[12]

In 2005 Burning Man through its Black Rock Arts Foundation commissioned Pepe to create The Dreamer as part of its theme, Psyche. The half submerged head has an entry into the inside of the head where neurons and biological matter dangle. With support from the Black Rock Arts Foundation and the James Irvine Foundation, the Dreamer was exhibited out in the open from May to November 2007 at the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.^[13]

In 2006, Pepe created these playful sculptures at times measuring up to 14 feet tall. The Monicacos de Esperanza were made out of wire mesh, fiberglass and polymer resin. From June through December 2006, the Monicacos de Esperanza were exhibited out in the open on San Francisco's Blue Greenway. The dedication of Pepe's Monicacos de Esperanza and a celebration of the launch of the Blue Greenway took place on June 24, 2006 with Mayor Gavin Newsom.^[14] From December 2006 to January 2007 a flock of Pepe's Monicacos de Esperanza were exhibited at the San Jose Museum of Art.^[15]

Films

In 2002 Pepe Ozan and Melitta Tchaikovsky directed this 58 minute documentary, Ganga Ma, a Pilgrimage to the Source, following the holy pilgrimage of the Hindus from the Bay of Bengal up to the Himalayan glaciers through the Ganges River. The film received the following awards: Award Winner - Best Documentary, Taos Film Festival 2002, Award Winner - Director's Citation Black Maria Film Festival 2002, Official Selection - Santa Cruz Film Festival 2002, Official Selection - Latino International Film Festival 2002, Official Selection Katmandu International Mountain Film Festival.

In 2004 Pepe Ozan and Melitta Tchaikovsky directed a 54 minute documentary, Jaisalmer Ayo, Gateway of the Gypsies, capturing the lives and travels of vanishing nomadic communities from the Thar Desert and exploring their ancestral links with the European Roma or Gypsies. Winner of Best Documentary, San Francisco Video Fest 2004. Official Selection - Rotterdam International Film Festival 2004, Official Selection - Swedish Film Institute - Stockholm 2004, Official Selection - IL Gigante Festival - Florence 2004, Official Selection - Latino International Film Festival 2006, Official Selection - Int. Doc. Festival - Glasgow 2006, Official Selection MoMa - New york 2007, Official Selection - Mediaware Gyor-Hungary 2006, Official Selection - Int. Indigenous Films Fest - Oaxaca 2006, Official Selection - Globalizeren Film Festival - Amsterdam 2005, Official Selection Zagreb Film Festival - Croatia 2005.^[16]

Julio Ozan Lavoisier Pepe´s brother,^[17] writer and philosopher, had studied for many years the culture of India. Pepe had already made two documentaries in India: Jaisalmer Ayo! (2004) and Ganga Ma (2001). They decided to unite their knowledge in order to express the indian tradition and culture in an audiovisual way. Thus was born the project of a documentary feature: "The Hindus",^[18] which took a lot of effort and visits to India.

After dying Pepe, left the legacy of the film to his brother. "The Hindus",^[19] is still being edited (2014).

References