Armando Guadalupe Cortes, “Gold Over Stone. Earth Over Gold. Flame Over Everything. Smoke to the Sky,” Performance documentation. Performed at the opening of “Total Collapse: Clay I the Contemporary Past” at the ASU Art Museum on February 1, 2020.
About Armando Guadalupe Cortes:
Physical manifestations of the body and labor are prevalent in the work of Armando Guadalupe Cortes, who utilizes family histories and myths as core inspirations for his sculptures, installations, and performative works. His actions are also inspired by traditional, ancient, and everyday Mexican ceramics used in labor and folkloric rituals.
Combining sculpture, objects, and performance, the resulting actions conflate narratives and challenge the established histories of bodies, earth, archaeological sites, rituals, and traditions. Through the use and presence of his own brown body, his investigation aims to uncover forgotten histories and write new ones. His work illustrates the complex relationships and responsibilities that new Latinx generations and communities have with their cultures, memory, and heritage.
Armando Guadalupe Cortes’ installation, performance, and residency were significantly supported by the Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Mission Clay Art and Industry, and Joan Baron Studio.
Special thanks to Grupo Coatlicue, who collaborated with the artist on the performance. Additional assistance on the installation was provided by Stephanie Gonzalez, Joan Baron, Ali Mariles Golamb, Sam Staas, Sharah Nieto and the ASU School of Art ceramics department.
“Total Collapse” is guest curated by Andres Payan-Estrada and co-organized with the Rubin Center for the Arts at the University of Texas at El Paso. The ASU Art Museum presentation is supported by the Windgate Charitable Foundation as part of the Windgate Contemporary Craft Initiative, the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Mission Clay Products and Baron Studio.
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