now's the time (amauta)

The imagery in now's the time (amauta) expands on the tower of records William Cordova created in his 2008 sculpture Greatest Hits and is a recurring motif in his work. The tower acts as a historical archive, with each record serving as a building block enabling and supporting what comes after it. For Cordova, the record functions symbolically as a vessel of history, culture and memory, and as metaphor for the recording of history itself.

The title references visual artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, who in 1985 created a large, black circular painting of a record titled "Now's the Time" commemorating jazz musician Charlie Parker's 1945 song of the same name. Parker's and Basquiat's works were inspired and influenced by the experiences and art forms of the African Diaspora. By using the same title, Cordova references multiple layers of history and locates his own work within that legacy. The subtitle to Cordova's drawings, (amauta), refers to a Peruvian art, culture, and politics journal from the 1920s, and the earth goddess in Incan mythology.