Cortez 1991

Jimmie Durham pieced together this sculpture, Cortez, from various materials, sometime in the late 20th or early 21st century. It’s like he’s building a body, or maybe deconstructing one, bit by bit. The contrast between the rough, industrial parts and the smoother, more human-like face is striking. You can almost feel the weight of the metal, the coldness of the pipes. Then there’s that lone arm, hanging there—a stark reminder of the human cost of history. It's gestural but static. The face is so impassive, as if history has frozen it in place. Durham's work often grapples with themes of colonialism and cultural identity, and I see this piece as part of that larger conversation. Maybe it's a bit like Duchamp, turning everyday objects into thought-provoking art, but with a sharper edge, and a deeper sense of history. Ultimately, it's a work that embraces ambiguity, inviting us to question the stories we tell ourselves about the past.