William Cordova

Having lived and worked fluidly between three different cities (New York, Miami, and his hometown of Lima, Peru), William Cordova creates artwork that deals with his real-life issues of transition and displacement. He investigates the differences in culture, language, and economics through his work: installations, drawings, and sculptures that combine discarded materials and ephemera—such as old shoes, tires, and books—to withdraw and reconsider their cultural and historical significance. Often site-specific, Cordova’s installations challenge preexisting histories of the places they occupy and present new perspectives on the fleeting significance of his subjects. In his 2006 installation the House that Frank Lloyd Wright built for Fred Hampton y Mark Clark, Cordova recreated a historical narrative (a 1969 police murder of two Black Panthers) and placed it in contemporary context to challenge and reinterpret its history.