Ana Cordeiro
New York, New York
apcordeiro.wordpress.com
Body of Evidence
2020
paper
8 x 16″
Artist Statement
Body of Evidence is an artist book instigated by how twice after the 2016 election (but never once before) people attempted to leverage my immigration status as a compensation for their white fragility. The book was printed in red &blue with black & gray, and it is shaped as an envelope with flaps open, folded lengthwise. It was designed to be unable to stand on its feet.
The letterpress printed text is from my personal experience of 20 years as an undocumented immigrant artist, supplemented with quotes from Rebecca Solnit, Emily Dickinson, William James, Agnes Martin, and Fernando Pessoa. Images are from woodcuts, alternative photographic processes, silkscreens, and photopolymer plates. All images are from my neighborhood in Northern Manhattan, historically an immigrant sanctuary. The book is bound with meeting guards, and the covers are full leather lacunose panels with tree bark and mother-pearl inclusions. 30 pages, edition of 09.