Ideological landscapes (alquimia), 2017
Photo: Juan Pablo Murrugarra | Courtesy 80m2 Livia Benavides, Lima, Peru
Collection
Collage of cardboard and paint on paper
145 x 218 cm
152.4 x 224.4 x 7.5 cm (framed)
The outline which gives Ideological Landscapes (Alquimia) (2017) its shape recurs throughout Cordova’s practice. The stepped pyramid design is derived from a pattern which appears across traditional native American blankets, ceramics, and architecture, and features in works by Cordova including cumunana (rumi maki) (2017), and untitled (ruling principles of the universe) (2018-2019). One of his largest wall works, Ideological Landscapes (Alquimia) is composed of reused paper, cardboard and paint, materials which bear traces of former use and marks Cordova has chosen not to conceal. The inclination to recycle, which can be considered both an artistic principle and method of Cordova’s, results in the incorporation of everyday materials and elements into his work. Indeed, his use of recycled card and paper in Ideological Landscapes reflects his use of found footage, discarded materials and reclaimed wood elsewhere in his practice. Interested in how processes of borrowing, appropriation and cross-cultural transmission have and continue to inform artistic production, Cordova considers the dynamics and relations of value-attribution in social, cultural, historical and economic terms.
For example, the inclusion of the stepped design in Ideological Landscapes and its abstract triangular marks make reference to histories of geometric abstraction and shaped canvases in art history, whilst also pointing to traditions and cultures which lie outside the art historical canon. He says, “patterns play a strong role in my drawings and I try to complicate the abstract pattern by referencing histories which detail its usage outside the realm of Western art.” The origin of the stepped design is thus a significant factor of the work, contextualizing the development of geometric patterns in 20th century art movements by noting their pre-existence in indigenous cultures. As curator Evan J. Garza has said of his practice, Cordova’s “candid use of reclaimed materials recalls the unrevealed and historicized nature of the things we use, siphoned through a multilingual vernacular that simultaneously questions and redefines our understanding of meaning.” The way in which Cordova combines references in singular works is not so much anachronistic as it is both a corrective on mainstream narratives, and an exemplification of the shared basis of what we commonly perceive as individuated moments of cultural production. –Elsa Gray
145 x 218 cm
152.4 x 224.4 x 7.5 cm (framed)
The outline which gives Ideological Landscapes (Alquimia) (2017) its shape recurs throughout Cordova’s practice. The stepped pyramid design is derived from a pattern which appears across traditional native American blankets, ceramics, and architecture, and features in works by Cordova including cumunana (rumi maki) (2017), and untitled (ruling principles of the universe) (2018-2019). One of his largest wall works, Ideological Landscapes (Alquimia) is composed of reused paper, cardboard and paint, materials which bear traces of former use and marks Cordova has chosen not to conceal. The inclination to recycle, which can be considered both an artistic principle and method of Cordova’s, results in the incorporation of everyday materials and elements into his work. Indeed, his use of recycled card and paper in Ideological Landscapes reflects his use of found footage, discarded materials and reclaimed wood elsewhere in his practice. Interested in how processes of borrowing, appropriation and cross-cultural transmission have and continue to inform artistic production, Cordova considers the dynamics and relations of value-attribution in social, cultural, historical and economic terms.
For example, the inclusion of the stepped design in Ideological Landscapes and its abstract triangular marks make reference to histories of geometric abstraction and shaped canvases in art history, whilst also pointing to traditions and cultures which lie outside the art historical canon. He says, “patterns play a strong role in my drawings and I try to complicate the abstract pattern by referencing histories which detail its usage outside the realm of Western art.” The origin of the stepped design is thus a significant factor of the work, contextualizing the development of geometric patterns in 20th century art movements by noting their pre-existence in indigenous cultures. As curator Evan J. Garza has said of his practice, Cordova’s “candid use of reclaimed materials recalls the unrevealed and historicized nature of the things we use, siphoned through a multilingual vernacular that simultaneously questions and redefines our understanding of meaning.” The way in which Cordova combines references in singular works is not so much anachronistic as it is both a corrective on mainstream narratives, and an exemplification of the shared basis of what we commonly perceive as individuated moments of cultural production. –Elsa Gray
William Cordova (born 1969) is a contemporary cultural practitioner and interdisciplinary artist currently residing between Lima, Peru, North Miami Beach, FL and New York.[1]
This biography is from Wikipedia under an Attribution-ShareAlike Creative Commons License.
This biography is from Wikipedia under an Attribution-ShareAlike Creative Commons License.