Gualala Arts is pleased to feature a one-woman exhibit by Almundena Ortiz of Berkeley. Her photography series, "The Insurrection of the Body," will be on display in the Elaine Jacob Foyer at Gualala Arts Center from July 10 through August 1. Gualala Arts invites the public to meet the artist at a wine and hors dâoeuvres reception on Saturday, July 10, at 5 p.m. There is no admission charge.

Ms. Ortiz has taught at the Academy of Art College, San Francisco since 2000. She also has been freelancing as an editorial, portrait, and conceptual photographer since 1992. She has exhibited at many well known galleries in the Bay Area, including the Mexican Consulate San Francisco, Academy of Art Gallery, and the Center for Visual Arts in Oakland.

Almundena photographs the human body and its representation as a vehicle for exploration. She draws inspiration for her photographs from a variety of sources, often using a concept as a springboard to create the images ö but not necessarily an illustration of that concept. "I deliberately incorporate in the photographs elements of ambiguity, tension, and fantasy," she says, "in hopes that the viewer will look closely and evaluate for themselves what they are seeing and feeling."