Cristina Córdova (b. 1976) is an American-born, Puerto Rican sculptor who works and lives in Penland, North Carolina.
As an award winning artist who primarily sculpts in clay, she focuses her work on expressive, emotional, and sometimes fantastical human figural sculptures. These sculptures are inspired by her heritage, gender, politics, and the complexities of human relationships with their surroundings. "Magic realism, the predominantly Latin American literary genre, is physically manifested through the surrealistic environments Córdova's subjects inhabit."
Influenced by the Catholic iconography of her youth in San Juan, Córdova now aims to create figures of her "own pantheon" while trying to emulate a figure representative of and recognizable by her own culture. The sculptures are shown in a variety of poses, expressions, colors, textures, and sizes. Córdova has won many awards, exhibited her work broadly, and her work is owned by both domestic and international museums.
Biography
Córdova was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Her parents were Puerto Ricans completing their studies in Medicine at Harvard University. They returned to Puerto Rico when she was 6 months old. She grew up taking in the rich and layered imagery of the Catholic church. The powerful iconography would come to inspire her work and her view of the world.
Education
Córdova graduated from the Academia del Perpetuo Socorro, Miramar, Puerto Rico in 1994 and earned a Bachelor of Arts and a concentration in Fine Arts from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus in 1998. During the summer of 1999 she finished courses at Touchtone School of Crafts at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. That same summer she completed courses at the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine. Later, she began studies as a special student in independent studies at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. She was supervised by Wayne Higby and Walter McConnell. She earned a scholarship to Alfred University for her master's degree in ceramics in 2000. She earned a Masters of Fine Arts from New York State College of Ceramics. Alfred University, Alfred, NY, M.F.A. in Ceramics, 2002. Special Student at Alfred University, Alfred, NY, August 1999 - May 2000. Colegio De Agricultura y Artes Mecanicas, B.A. magna cum laude, Mayaguyez, Puerto Rico, June 1998. Extracurricular courses: Florence Academy of Art, Penland School of Crafts. Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, Maine, 1999.
Career
Córdova was on track to becoming an engineer when she realized that it wasn't for her. She switched to art school, where she could pursue her interest in ceramics. After graduating in 2002 she was selected to serve as a resident artist at Penland School of Crafts. Córdova moved to Penland, North Carolina to participate in the residency in 2002. After completing her residency she and her family made their home and studio on the Penland campus where she maintains her studio and offers workshops.
Work
"Córdova doesn't want to be labeled a Puerto Rican artist – or a woman artist, or any type of artist, other than a compelling one – she does believe authenticity can come only from a deeply personal place." Her Afro-Caribbean heritage and her understanding of contemporary and historical influences have impacted her art form. Her knowledge of early Roman life and African sculptures are also reflected in her figures. Among the artists which have impacted her work are Doug Jeck, Judy Fox, Jaime Suarez and Susana Espinosa. She comments about her own work that "we are all taking from a collective creativity."
The human figure is key to her work which has been described as "a compelling strain of magical realism ... laden with ideas of creation, crucifixion and difficult nature of existence." She works primarily with clay but has an interest in working with other mediums. Her moldings recreate various human forms, often female. She has also recreated animal-like creatures. At the abstract level, her figures, represent the struggles in the world of today. Cordóva weaves the past with the present as she creates a place for the viewer to complete the narrative in her work.