William Cordova
dal 23/10/2009 al 4/12/2009
Segnalato da
23/10/2009
William Cordova
Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York
Laberintos
Sikkema Jenkins & Co. is pleased to present an exhibition of
new works by William Cordova. Entitled laberintos, this
exhibition is Cordova’s first solo exhibition with Sikkema
Jenkins & Co. and will be on view from October 24 through
December 5, 2009.
William Cordova’s work embodies a duality that is central to
his oeuvre: the interplay of rural and urban aesthetics. He also
emphasizes the unintended links between practices and
people. Inspired by Jorge Luis Borges’ novel Laberintos
(1962) and Octavio Paz’s collection of essays The Labyrinth
of Solitude (1950), Cordova’s works are multi-layered,
elusive, and allusive. They are populated by landscapes, text,
and collections of found everyday remnants. Cordova
combines imagery from popular culture with gold leaf, and his
pictorial space is further enhanced by the juxtaposition of
drawing and structural linguistics. These elements create a
setting that has the potential for new and inspiring
occurrences. The works are sometimes interrupted by strips
of electrical tape, blocked-out areas, drawings that extend off
the picture plane, or free verse from anonymous authors. The
artist’s palette is reminiscent of the static found on a
television screen; this imbues Cordova’s works with an
unpredictability that is both unsettling and compelling.
This exhibition will consist of five projects that include
drawing, sculpture, and video. These indicate a shift towards
a nuanced re-investigation of the iconography in the artist’s
new works. For example, in untitled (Huaca) (2009), various
objects (reclaimed wood, a primary school textbook, a
feather, and two Polaroid photos) are assembled axially in a
Constructivist manner that also reflects the syncopation of an
Andean musical composition. The 100 drawing suite Untitled
(The Echo In Nicolas Guillen Landrians Bolex) (2008-2009)
acknowledges that the artist’s traditional linguistic elements—
image, text, and materials—are only credible in the present
when they are anchored within a preexisting social system of
communication. In describing his work, Cordova states: "The
stories that one tells somebody else around the family dining
room table, those are the stories you pass on and you learn
that way, so that it remains sacred. That is one of the things I
want to convey in my work...the concept of sacredness."
A brochure featuring an essay by Andrés Estefane, a noted
writer and historian based in New York and Santiago, will
accompany the exhibition. Estefane will focus on "how
Cordova’s drawings, collages, sculptures, and installations
offer a preliminary answer [to] the questions raised by the
Borgesian labyrinth."
William Cordova was born in Lima, Peru, in 1971. He
received his MFA from Yale University in 2004 and his BFA
from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1996. The
artist has been featured in solo exhibitions at Fleming
Museum, Burlington; Artpace, San Antonio; Threewalls,
Chicago; PS.1 Contemporary Art Center, Long Island City;
and Arndt & Partner, Zurich. His work has been included in
many international exhibitions and biennials, including San
Juan Triennial, San Juan (2009); Whitney Biennial, New York
(2008); Utopia Station, 50th Venice Biennale, Venice (2003);
and several groundbreaking group shows, such as
NeoHooDoo at the Menil Collection in Houston, TX (2008),
and Street Level at the Nasher Museum at Duke University in
Durham, NC (2007). In 2010, Cordova will debut works in
exhibitions at La Conservera Centro De Arte Contemporáneo,
Ceutí, Murcia, Spain and The Contemporary Museum of Art,
San Diego.
Concurrent with William Cordova’s exhibition, the gallery will
also be showing approximately 50 postcard-sized drawings
by Ivory Cost artist Frédéric Bruly Bouabré. Bouabré’s poetic
work, drawn in ballpoint pen and colored pencil, record the
artist’s observations of the world around him. Consisting of
cartoon-like images of people and objects bordered by text
and decoration, the drawings acquire their strength by
accumulation. The simple drawings, grouped together, create
an encyclopedic documentation of the world as experienced
by the artist.
For additional information contact Scott Briscoe at 212.929.2262, or gallery@sikkemajenkinsco.com
Image: I see angels (Para Michael Richards), 2009. From: Untitled (The Echo In Nicolas Guillen Landrians Bolex, 2008-2009 Suite of 100 drawings
Opening Reception: Saturday, October 24th, 6-8 PM
Sikkema Jenkins & Co.
30 W. 22nd Street New York, NY 10011
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 10 to 6