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Raúl Cordero. La Habana, Cuba, 1971 blanca oria   A bit of background information on the artist:
He started to work ten years ago, in 1992. Those who know him well say that he’s never been interested in getting messages across; he just enjoys the experience of putting his work together. Since 1994 he has gradually become attracted to new technologies and video. He has been defined as being a son of the revolution and MTV. He makes a living from music, not art. He works as a DJ at a nightclub. The job has the added advantage over art insofar as it involves contact with people. Several icons of the 60s and 70s like Yuri Gagarin, Bruce Lee, Cassius Clay and Boney M can be found integrated in his work. He expresses interest in the work of Vitto Acconci, Felix Gonzalez Torres, Bruce Naumann and Baldessari. He lives in Cuba but his art has more to do with how he lives rather than where he resides.

A bit of background information on the art:
“What was happening on the bench while I painted the portrait of Yuri Gagarin. 2001.” The portrait of smiling face of Yuri Gagarin as he looks out of his helmet takes up all the space in a very large painting. But, what was going on in the street outside the studio as the artist painted the portrait? In order to find out he placed a camera that permanently recorded a bench just under the artist’s house. People pass by as the artist creates, rain or shine, you can hear the traffic... The final result is a painting and a video; both of which make up a piece of work and a perception of time that somehow repeats itself.

Hello-Good bye Series. The Rolling landmark. 2001
There are several ingredients that are necessary to get this project-installation-performance-vital experience up and running. First off, a verification: Western men use the same gesture, that of raising a hand and moving it from side to side, to greet people who arrive and to bid farewell to those who leave. Secondly, some symbols: the road-signs as you enter and leave Las Vegas –the very same ones we’ve seen so many times at the cinema– that offer their welcomes and wish their goodbyes to visitors from all over the world coming to and going from this gambling and entertainment paradise. Thirdly, a new geographical space that demonstrates that an object can be placed anywhere in the world; a road-sign similar to those found in Las Vegas travels to various cities in Belgium and Holland. It welcomes people to places like Gent, Antwerpen, Lokeren, St-Niklaas... ”Welcome to fabulous Brasschaat”, Welcome to fabulous Deinze”... The travelling road-sign is set up at each location where you can see the photographic exposition based around the same theme. The exposition grows and grows as it reaches each new destination; each new destination becomes a part of the exposition. The road-sign has been around Europe and will later take a boat across the ocean to reach the Americas. It will finally end up at the old-road entrance to Las Vegas, beside the original sign.

The perfect woman. 2002
One of Raúl Cordero’s latest creations is the result of a seven-day stay in Salamanca. The work process began in the hotel room every morning. The artist sits in front of a video camera and gives a physical description of “The perfect woman”. Wednesday’s girl has straight hair. She’s a brunette. She’s got big, round eyes and a round face... Sunday’s has a pleasant-looking intelligent face, long straight hair and shiny blue eyes... When the seven faces have been defined, a specialist in identikit sketches makes drawings from the descriptions. The artist has created a person who doesn’t exist, yet has defined characteristics.