H O W DOES AN A R TIST TAKE A TIM E-
less form and make it her own?
Cristina Cordova, who sculpts
the human figure in clay with
great skill and sensitivity, knows
the allure, and challenge, of work-
ing in a format that has captivated
artists since time immemorial.
“Because it is such a mono-
lithic tradition that you drag in,
it’s hard - especially in the con-
temporary setting of art - to use
the figure in a way that does not
drag you back, that is perceived
as fresh and valid,” Cordova, 35,
observes. Then again, there is no
limit to what she describes as “the
potential of the eloquence of the
body to manifest a state of mind.”
And so Cordova creates
players on the stage of life,
captured in moments of transi-
tion as they reveal themselves
through gesture, from wild con-
tortion to the subtlest lift of
an eyebrow. Her figures range
from tabletop size to larger than
life. Some are black, others
white (usually a choice made for
aesthetic reasons, Cordova says,
though she acknowledges color
can be a charged element as well).
They may be riding a beast,
or adrift on a boat, or perched
on an island in an archipelago,
ready to hop to the next place.
Top:
La Conquista, 2010
ceramic, metal, resin;
dimensions vary
2010; ceramic
15x5x4m.
Some read as motionless, yet
radiate emotion through their
stance, surface texture, and
accoutrements, gazing down
from high on a wall or pedestal,
or reclining in the nude. How
will all their dramas play out?
That’s largely up to us.
“When you look at ballet,
there is a loose narrative, a thread.
But it’s not very overt. In modern
dance it’s even less so. That’s how
I’ve approached these figures. I’m
not interested in being terribly
clear about the story.”
Cordova was a dancer
through her childhood and into
her 20s, so it’s no surprise she’s
inspired by the body, move-
ment, and theater, nor that she
finds her expressive sweet spot
in a delicate balance - that of
the personal and the universal.
“I feel my work performs
in different layers,” she says.
“The most accessible are the
ones that have to do with overt
figuration, an in-your-face
expression through gesture and
scale. When you peel down,
there are subtleties and color and
symbolism, still quite universal
but more embedded. And if you
keep peeling down, eventually
you’ll get to a level that is very
close to my sense of culture -
and very specific to that culture.”
Above:
Hermoso Naufragio, 2009
ceramic, resin, metal
2.2 x 1.3 x 1 ft.
054 american craft feb/mari2
L a C on qu ista
photo: Veva Edelson /
F ru t a
and
H erm oso
photos: Steve Mann /
Todoaquello
photos: Michael Mauney
