The work of ceramic sculptor Cristina Córdova has always been concerned with
the human form: the figure and the face, gesture and expression. Her upcoming
show at the Penland Gallery—her first solo exhibition in the U.S. since
2011—will present two- and three-dimensional images of her family members along
with elements that evoke her native Puerto Rico. Titled Cerca y Lejos, the exhibition runs from September 20 through
November 20 with an opening reception on Saturday, October 1, from 4:30 to 6:30
PM.
At the center of the exhibition are two life-size, standing ceramic
figures: one depicts her husband and the other depicts one of their daughters. The
figures stand in front of wall-sized photographs of Puerto Rico that were taken
from Internet sources and are presented as photo mosaics. Along with these
dioramas are five large portraits of members of Córdova’s family. Drawn on
paper using clay slip and other materials, the oversized faces look directly
and unflinchingly at the viewer. The show’s title means “near and far” and
refers to the proximity of the artist’s family and the distance of her
homeland.
In talking about this work, Córdova notes that for her it represents a turn
toward naturalism. “My work has been described in the past as having to do with
surrealism and religious iconography. In this more overtly personal work, I am
using images of real places and modeling real individuals.” Penland Gallery
director Kathryn Gremley says of the show, “For an artist whose work is both
sensory and confrontational, the opportunity to work with an entire exhibition
space is ideal: she can move fluidly from wall to floor, she can study the
light and create works accordingly, she can force perspective, and creative
narrative groupings without regard to conventional gallery norms.”
Taken as a
whole, the exhibition creates a form of silent theater that illuminates one
artist’s exploration of her personal and cultural identity.
Córdova, who grew up in Puerto Rico and now lives and works near Penland
School of Crafts in Mitchell County, North Carolina, has an MFA in ceramics
from Alfred University in New York. She has received a North Carolina Arts
Council fellowship, a Virginia A. Groot Foundation grant, and the prestigious
United States Artists fellowship. Her work is in the collections of the Renwick
Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in DC, the Mint Museum in
Charlotte, NC, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Puerto Rico and was
recently featured on the cover of Ceramics
Monthly magazine. She was a Penland resident artist from 2002-2005 and has
taught at the school several times.
This exhibition is an opportunity to visit the recently renovated and
expanded Penland Gallery, which is also featuring functional pieces by woodworker
Christina Boy in the Focus Gallery and site-specific installations by Christina
Shmigel and Laurencia Strauss. Also on view are large, outdoor sculptures by
Hoss Haley and Bill Brown, Jr. The gallery sales area represents hundreds of
artists who are affiliated with the school. And the Visitors Center Gallery has
an ongoing display of objects that represent Penland’s history.
The Penland Gallery and Visitors Center is located on Conley Ridge Road,
just off of Penland Road in Mitchell County (near the town of Spruce Pine). It
is the first building on your right as you enter the Penland campus. The
gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 AM-5:00 PM and Sunday,
Noon-5:00 PM; closed on Mondays.
For more information call 828-765-6211 or
visit penland.org/gallery.
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