César Cornejo

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I gave this talk on May 6th at the Architecture Department of the UPC in Lima, as part of the cycle Autoconstrucción y Procesos aledaños, organized by Ricardo Cárdenas and Jose Falconí and moderated by Patricia Ciriani. 

TREPANATIONS

Conversation Piece N 8

This is a recent and beautifully written reflection on my Trepanation pieces by Emily Watkins for Ed Cross Fine Art.

https://www.edcrossfineart.com/blog/40/

Preparatory work by ECFA artists, Curated by Emily Watkins, 7 - 29 April 2021

RUSHDI ANWAR // SHIRAZ BAYJOO // CESAR CORNEJO // TIFFANIE DELUNE // WOLE LAGUNJU // SAHARA LONGE // MARIO MACILAU // ABE ODEDINA // ANYA PAINTSIL

Excited to announce that I have been awarded an  Arts Council England, Developing your Creative Practice Grant - Music. This grant will be instrumental to develop that side of my creative practice, as a multimedia artist. 

I will be part of the Faculty at the Anderson Ranch's Fluid Sculpture: object making, installation and performance program.

 March 15 & 17 2021

I have been awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to teach and undertake research in Puno - Peru, for two months in 2021 and two more months in 2022. During that time I will continue in my position as Senior Lecturer at the Manchester School of Art. 

Works that are inspired on the trepanations carried out the old Peruvian culture Paracas, which was also known for elongating the skulls of their elite classes. It raises awareness about social issues in Latin America, where large migration overpopulate the capital cities, enlarging the administrative heads of their countries.

Mixed media works that represent the instability of the foundations on which contemporary societies are built upon.

Mixed media based on the traditional colonial wood reliefs found all across Latin America. They portray major museum buildings in the process of transforming to shanty towns. 

Sculptures based on the concept of the Puno MoCA project, they explore the relation between museums of contemporary art and  low income neighborhoods. They are made of ceramics and polished aluminum. 

Sculptures that explore the relationship between painting and sculpture, with particular interest on their ability to transform our perception of the public space through ephemeral interventions.

Works that raise awareness about the decision by Florida State Universities to build on campus branches of a company that ignore the rights of the tomato farmers in that state. It raises questions about the example that we are giving students who are taught at those institutions. 

Interactive installation included in the Florida Prize in Contemporary Art Exhibition, at the Orlando Museum of Art. It portrayed the Puno Museum of Contemporary Art and it also included mixed media works. 

Interactive installation featuring the project Puno MoCA, replicas of a room from a house in Puno were recreated, one in raw state and the other conditioned as a gallery space. It featured sculptures, paintings and photos. Galeria Lucia de la Puente, Lima 2010.

Work that explores the relationship between museums and underserved urban areas, the work represented a shanty town and on top of the roofs lays the photo of the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum, which is only visible as a reflection on a mirror suspended on top of the installation. Contemporary Art Museum of the University of South Florida.

Interactive installation introducing the project Puno MoCA, it included photos, models, videos and texts. It was presented at the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council's Workspace Residency, New York 2007. 

Interactive installation based on concepts of Zen architecture and the book in Praise of the Shadows by Junichiro Tanizaki. People are able to walk through the piece interacting with each other. It was made while attending the PhD in Fine Arts program at the Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo, 2003.

Interactive installation made in the room of the custodian of an empty house. The room was repaired to please the custodians expectations and a second floor was built where a gallery was created. Galeria Lucia de Puente, 15 Anniversary Exhibition, Lima 2009.

Interactive Installation which represented a snake (Amaru in quechua), which revolved around two installations portraying the Puno MoCA project. It was part of the exhibition “Vacio Museal” Curated by Gustavo Buntinx, MAC Lima, Lima- Peru, 2016.

Puno MoCA installation at a private home in Casa Blanca, Havana, Cuba, made for the XII Havana Biennial. The piece acknowledged the history of the family who used to own four ferryboats that were used to carry people across the bay, until the revolution nationalized them. Havana, Cuba, 2015.

Homage to nine students and one professor from the National University of Education, “La Cantuta, in Lima, Peru, who were kidnapped and killed by a death squad of the Peruvian Army in 1992. It is also a memorial to all the victims violence during the years of terrorist war in Peru.  Gallery Artco, Lima, 2005.

Work that addressed the state of education in Latin America, where the state policies don't seem to match the population needs. It was made with school chairs from schools in Maracaibo, Venezuela and was presented at the V Bienal del Barro, curated by Martin Sanchez. Museo Lia Bermudez, 2004.

Interactive installation featuring the the Puno MoCA project and making reference to iconic contemporary art museum architecture. It was  presented as a solo project with Galeria Lucia de la Puente at Art Positions of Art Basel Miami, 2011.

Solo exhibition that addressed issues related to lack of communication in the family. I used furniture from my family house in Lima. The piece also explored the concept of Anti-Architecture. Presented at the Peruvian-North American Cultural Institute Art Gallery in Miraflores, Lima, 2005.