Isla by Cristina Córdova

Isla, the title of this work, means island in Spanish. Though Cristina Córdova was born in Boston, she was raised on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico, and her cultural identity as a Puerto Rican is prominent in her subject matter. The rock this figure stands on is small and could be seen to represent the island as a jumping-off point, as a limiting of precarious place, or as a grounding force. Another frequent symbol employed by Córdova, seen here, is the androgynous figure. The human could be any gender, and this uncertainty allows the artist to push boundaries and viewer expectations. Dance was frequently a part of Córdova’s upbringing and training as an artist, and the elongated muscles and elegant poses of her figures allude to this.

— Whitney Richardson, associate curator