Artist’s Statement

I was originally inspired to become an artist by the “Houses of Worship” I attended as a child. These “Churches” were total environments: architecture, lighting, incense, painted and sculpted images all combine to create a sense of awe in the viewer. My works are metaphors of experience. I use the human body as a symbol of nature, vulnerability and power.

I was born in Colombia and raised in the multicultural and diverse environment of New York City. My first museum visit was at the age of 5 in this city of world class institutions. These visits spurred my interest in the folk art traditions and ritualistic art of Latin America and Africa and their continuous and evolving changes is at the core of my sculpture and installation work.

In this body of work I examines the extent to which a consciousness, national or personal, defines itself through the opposing force of a transcultural experience.

Art can be a vehicle for change. A connector for society. I use materials and images that speak on many levels to reach people from different parts of the world, society, culture, class, and education. I create pieces that produce a connective fiber for the viewer. My work references history - the personal, the cultural, the political, and the absent histories. The histories that never occurred. What happens to people when an alien history has been forced on them? A moment that should have occurred is aborted.

Artist’s Links

artist’s website: www.esperanzacortes.com         

gallery link: