Decade of Disparity
"Decade of Disparity" is an online exhibition featuring early works from my Disparate Renewal series. In 2013, I began a deep exploration of time, place, and impermanence, rooted in the environment just outside my home in Rampart Village, Los Angeles, where I’ve lived for over 20 years. Known for its rough edges, the neighborhood gained notoriety from events like the LA police scandal of the 1990s and its proximity to the birthplace of MS13, located just 500 feet from my door. The area has always carried a certain edge.
However, Rampart Village is also rich with the vibrancy of its multicultural history and heritage. After a serious accident in 2012, I started taking walks around the neighborhood as part of my healing process, collecting detritus for daily assemblages. This practice sharpened my focus on the recurring and evolving traces of the city’s life, and I developed specific protocols for gathering materials. These materials, often overlooked and discarded, became central to the principle of "materials as witness," a core concept that continues to shape my work today.
This exhibition presents 20 pieces from 2013 to 2016, a period of significant artistic growth during which I truly solidified my voice as an artist. It’s a pleasure to revisit these foundational works and offer them to the public for the first time.
-cody
