Biography

My name is Percy S. Cardona. I am a bi-lingual and bi -cultural (Puerto Rican ) artist/therapist/educator. I have had the opportunity to work in a variety of mediums and in various locales and settings both in New York City and Colorado. At the Bronx River Restoration Center, which later became BRAC, II co-curated an exhibition “Darle Que Dale, Hit on it, then hit on it again: Ethnocentric Histories of Art”. This exhibition accumulated images through the distinct and overlapping priorities of three cultures (Black, Hispanic, White) represented. This was a unique artist/curator collaboration. Vivien Raynor’s article in The New York Times, emphasizes that it is an “An Ambitious Exhibition (that) Explores Work of Ethnic Artist”

In 1987, I was fortunate enough to have my work selected for the exhibition “Abstract Visions” at the Museum of Contemporary Hispanic Art. In the catalogue, it is noted that “Cardona enlivens his monoliths with raw energy of assemblage, giving them a ferocious and primeval aspect of animals and monsters.”

In 1989, I completed my graduate studies in Sculpture at Hunter College in New York City. I built a nine-foot totem-like wall piece with and 3’ and 4’ feet of rolled steel elements painted silver, gold and lemon yellow for my Masters in Fine arts Thesis exhibition entitled “Stand Clear.” In 1990, I completed an Artist Residency and exhibition at the Institute of Technology of Bandung, Fine Arts Division, Bandung, Indonesia. I created a large, free- standing sculpture from native woods that were painted gold and a stainless steel sheet . It was prominently displayed in front of the campus library.

In 2001, I was selected to participate in “Sights and Sounds” where the concept was to have a visual artist collaborate with a composer. I designed a room- size installation in relation to Graham Haynes’ jazz composition. Later in 2001, for the exhibition “Change/Process; Substructures Exposed” at the Bronx River Art Center, I built a site-specific installation using 10’ metal studs and a series of stainless elements generating a buoyant and playful composition.

For “Liberte, Libertad, Liberty”, a contemporary Caribbean statement on the American Revolution, I built a freestanding sculpture of stainless steel elements. In my last cultural exhibition, “Rice & Beans/Black Eyed Peas and Collard Greens (and other stuff),” I built new pieces with wood and metal where the issue of inside versus outside is challenged with metal sheets functioning both as a shell and also internal space but on a larger scale.

Since coming to Colorado (August 2019) I have created 12 large scale sculptural pieces, a series of large abstract drawings and paintings, as well as several silkscreen prints. I had several   solo exhibitions at the Globeville Riverfront Gallery. My work was part of a virtual exhibition at el Museo de las Americas. My work was exhibited at the Lincoln Center in Fort Collins. Upcoming exhibitions include a show at the Galleria in Loveland, and at the Brookfield Craft Center in Brookfield, Connecticut.

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I create large, abstract, hard-edged paintings. These paintings present a dissonant and chaotic sensibility as manifested by the clashes of color, form and more recently, utilize gesture and freehand painting.

I feel my paintings can be viewed as a defiant, geometric experiment where lines and shapes partake in a dance. The viewer’s task is to read or experience the numerous shifts in line and form, figure and ground. The linear composition of the paintings   may act as triggers for the brain/mind to discern and the heart to experience. It is important to note that line and color function as more than the delineation of form, or outline of an object; they function as content.

I create abstract sculptures by transforming every day, discarded materials into bold and engaging artworks. My creative process involves using objects like orange construction fencing, plexiglass grids, and metal shelving to form unique, dynamic compositions. These sculptures range from large, freestanding pieces to wall installations, featuring both strong, reflective shapes and delicate, linear elements. I am especially drawn to repurposed materials because of their plasticity and their potential to be seen in new ways, beyond their original function.

My approach is intuitive—I build directly with the materials, without making sketches or models beforehand. The goal is for viewers to experience the artwork as a unified whole, not just as a collection of parts. I want my sculptures to spark imagination, provoke emotion, and encourage people to find beauty in items they might otherwise overlook. The unusual combination of materials and forms often challenges traditional ideas about what sculpture should be, inviting viewers to draw on their own experiences and art history for interpretation.