ARTIST STATEMENT
Working with materials that have transformative properties, such as clay, metal and textiles, I create sculptural works that are visual abstractions of myself as a woman; that explore issues of identity, memory, and the impermanence of self. Many times taking the shape of a half-sphere, these forms represent my ability to hold, support, and contain those things that I value most while remaining open, exposed and vulnerable to change.
I am fascinated by the innate duality that exists within metal. By nature, it has a rigid composition, but when manipulated by heat, it’s state of being transforms. Once molten, it loses its structural integrity as a solid and takes on the characteristics of a liquid, becoming malleable and fluid. Clay is similarly metamorphic by the way it can be dried, rehydrated, and fired to create something entirely new. Clay’s ability to record movement and gesture upon its surface is particularly engaging to me.
As we age, we are left with vestiges of thoughts- memories of a life that no longer exists. We are in a perpetual state of transition from one state of consciousness to the next. By grafting, binding, and welding these ancient materials together, I use the remnants to create sculptural assemblages that serve as a symbolic bridge between my selfhood of today to the the liminal space of tomorrow.
Each iteration is equally referential and abstract, and serve as containers for space, composition and the inherent congruency and contradictions between my past and the present.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Bethany Cordero is a multi-disciplinary visual artist and graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago whose sculptural works are drawn from a lexicon of forms allowing experimentation with the fluid possibilities that are inherently present within metal, clay and textiles. Often interweaving traditionally industrial materials such as steel or bronze alongside or within ceramics, new objects of curiosities are realized. She is fascinated by clay’s inherent malleability and the potential “fluidness” that is achievable by means of manipulation and technique.
Her sculptures explore concepts of identity, memory, and the impermanence of self. Many times taking the shape of a half-sphere, each iteration is equally referential and abstract, and serve as containers for space, composition and the inherent congruency and contradictions between the past and the present. These vessel shapes speak of an innate desire to hold, support, and contain those things that she values most while remaining open, exposed and vulnerable to change.
© Bethany Cordero