Cosmé Cordova’s work depicts his experience living between two worlds. Born in Mexico and illegally emigrated at a young age by his father, Cordova experiences life in the U.S. as an organic growth between the deep cultural heritage concentrated in the family and the personal sacrifices individuals subject themselves to in order to achieve economic success and social independence. For his exhibition at UCR Sweeney Art Gallery, Cordova has a series of paintings and monograph prints based on the juxtaposition of two visual tropes: the raven and the dual landscape. In the mythology of the Southwest, the Raven is a solitary trickster figure, able to live between the physical and spiritual worlds, who constantly plays pranks that contravene the laws of nature and society. He figuratively sits on the fence between established borders that categorize what is collectively accepted and outlawed. The dual landscape image depicts trees growing out of the landscape in the shape of the U.S. border. In Cordova’s work, borders, literal fences and conventional assumptions, mark not just personal and political boundaries, but also create ruptures of opportunity to challenge established norms. Cosmé Cordova is the Director of Division 9 Gallery in Riverside, CA.