Angela de la Cruz is a Spanish artist whose works sit between painting and sculpture. She engages with the discourse about the ‘problem’ with painting by targeting its basic anatomy: the stretcher, normally left to its job of keeping the canvas smooth and pliant. Angela de la Cruz was born in La Coruña in Galicia, northwest Spain in 1965 and lives and works in London. She received a BA in philosophy from the University of Santiago de Compostela (1989) before moving to London, where she has a BA in Fine Art from Goldsmiths College (1994) and an MA Sculpture and Critical Theory from the Slade (1996).
De la Cruz breaks convention, quite literally, by mangling the stretcher and piercing the flat edifice of the canvas to unleash it into three-dimensional space. Slashed, twisted and reformed into something approaching sculpture, there is a dark humor at play: “The moment I cut through the canvas I get rid of the grandiosity of painting”, she says. Convention punctured, her works seem to mimic aspects of human behavior or states of mind – cowering, cringing, surviving – and, more recently, this sense of human scale has been bolstered by works incorporating items of domestic furniture, such as chairs and tables. Prostrate on the floor or hanging on the wall like macabre trophies, they are evidence of a violent process and, as such, confront it as something thrilling, fearsome and, whether soiled or slick, just beneath the surface. For recent works such as Burst (White)(illustrated right, 2012), the artist has violently yet playfully transcended the imposed boundaries of her medium, asserting painting’s three-dimensionality by causing the sides to burst as if about to tear or explode. “These works are about being on the verge of something, the liminal state between one form and another. There is a surface appearance and there is also what lies beneath. These pieces are quite aggressive but they are also in a calm state.”
Solo exhibitions include Camden Arts Centre, London (2010), Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo, Sevilla, Spain (2005) and Museo de Arte Contemporanea de Vigo, Annex Space MARCO, Spain (2004). She was nominated for the Turner Prize in 2010.
Angela de la Cruz lives and works in London.
Year | Exhibition Title | Gallery/Museum | Solo/Group |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | Border Crossing | Castlefield Gallery, Manchester | Solo |
2015 | La Coleccion. Coleccion de Pintura Contemporanea Internacional | Fundacion Barrie, Madrid, Spain | Solo |
2015 | What Is Contemporary Art? | Galeria Mario Sequeira, Braga | Group |
2015 | The Adventures of the Black Square: Abstract Art and Society 1915-2015 | Whitechapel, London | Group |
2015 | Drawing Biennial 2015 | Drawing Room, London | Group |
2014 | Der Kubist Marcel Duchamp mag nicht malen | Thomas Scutte Gallery, Berlin | Solo |
2014 | Enantiodromia | Fold Gallery, London | Solo |
2014 | Resonance(s) | Maison Particulliere Art Center, Brussels | Solo |
2014 | Call me on Suday | Krinzinger Projekte, Vienna | Solo |
2014 | Colour Me In | Esbjerg Art Museum, Denmark | Solo |
2014 | Tiempos Abiertos – Fondos de la Coleccion Artium de Alava | DA2~Domus Artium 2002, Salamanca, Spain | Solo |
2014 | Der Kubist Marcel Duchamp mag nicht malen | Thomas Scutte Gallery, Berlin | Group |
2014 | Enantiodromia | Fold Gallery, London | Group |
2014 | Resonance(s) | Maison Particulliere Art Center, Brussels | Group |
2014 | Call me on Suday | Krinzinger Projekte, Vienna | Group |
2014 | Colour Me In | Esbjerg Art Museum, Denmark | Group |
2014 | Tiempos Abiertos – Fondos de la Coleccion Artium de Alava | DA2~Domus Artium 2002, Salamanca, Spain | Group |
2013 | Angela de la Cruz | Wetterling Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden | Solo |
2013 | Burst | Lisson Gallery, Milan, Italy | Solo |
2013 | The Art of the Present | Colección Helga de Alvear, CentroCentro Cibeles de Cultura y Ciudadanía, Madrid | Group |
2013 | Jetztzeit (Present time) + The Angel’s Back | Centre d’Art La Panera, Lleida, Spain | Group |
2013 | The Art of Not Making | Hå gamle prestegard, Nærbø, Norway | Group |
2013 | La Imagen Especular–Tirar del hilo - Sala Sur | Centro Museo Vasco de Arte Contemporáneo, Vitoria, Spain | Group |
2013 | ON PAINTING—Prácticas pictóricas actuales... más allá de la Pintura o más acá | Centro Atlántico de Arte Moderno, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain | Group |
2012 | Transfer | Anna Schwartz, Melbourne, Australia | Solo |
2012 | Wet | Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna, Austria | Solo |
2012 | Delimitations | Herzliya Museum, Tel Aviv, Israel | Solo |
2012 | The Art of Not Making | Sumarria Lunn, London | Group |
2012 | Representation and the Body | Wetterling Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden | Group |
2012 | The Fabricated Object | Sumarria Lunn Gallery, London, UK | Group |
2012 | Tirar de Hilo (e imagen espectacular) | Coleccion ARTIUM, Vitoria, Spain | Group |
2012 | Delimitations | Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art, Tel Aviv, Israel | Group |
2012 | Summer Exhibition | Royal Academy, London, UK | Group |
2012 | IV Bienal de Arte Contemporaneo | ONCE, Madrid, Spain | Group |
2012 | In abstraction, the body | Anna Schwartz Gallery, Sydney | Group |
2011 | Trasnfer | Helga de Alvear, Madrid, Spain | Solo |
2011 | Transfer | Lisson Gallery, London, UK | Solo |
2011 | Model vs Reality | Fold Gallery, London | Group |
2011 | What If It's All True? What Then? | Mummery + Schnelle Ltd, London. | Group |
2011 | ROTOR | Siobhan Davies, Edinburgh | Group |
2011 | ROTOR | Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, UK | Group |
2011 | Made In Britain: Contemporary Art From The British Council Collection 1980–2010 | Hong Kong Heritage Museum, Hong Kong | Group |
2011 | Contemporary Spanish in Helga de Alvear Collection | Caceres, Spain | Group |
2011 | Pulso XXI | Coleccion Sanchez-Ubiria, MAS, Santander, Spain | Group |
2011 | De-Constructing the Norm | Wetterling Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden | Group |
2011 | Historias de la Vida Material | Fundacion Helga de Alvear, Caceres, Spain | Group |
2011 | Ficciones Y Realidades | Arte Espanol de los 2000 en la Coleccion Arte Contemporaneo | Group |
2011 | Museo Patio Herreriano | Museum of Modern Art, Moscow | Group |
2011 | Aproximaciones I. Arte español Contentemporaneo en la Coleccion de Helga de Alvear | Fundacion Helga de Alvear, Caceres, Spain | Group |
2011 | Out of Storage | Timmerfabriek, Maastricht, Netherlands | Group |
2011 | La Colección | Fundación Barrié. Sede A Coruña, Spain | Group |
2011 | Surreal versus Surrealismo en el arte contemporáneo | IVAM, Valencia, Spain | Group |
2010 | After | Camden Arts Centre, London, UK | Solo |
2010 | Turner Prize | Tate Britain | Group |
2010 | Gallery Artists | Wetterling Gallery | Group |
2010 | ROTOR | Siobhan Davies, London | Group |
2010 | La Abstraccion Redefinida Espana America | Galeria Max Estrella, Madrid, Spain | Group |
2010 | Cosmètica dogmàtica - Collecció d'art contemporani Fundació la Caixa | Barcelona, Spain | Group |
2009 | Soft Sculpture | National Gallery, Canberra, Australia | Group |
2009 | HoviArt | Anttolanovi, Anttola, Finland | Group |
2009 | Union Fenosa | La Coruna, Spain | Group |
2009 | Group Show | Fundacion Marco Pastor, La Coruna, Spain | Group |
2009 | Irreversible | Pontevedra, Spain | Group |
2009 | Afinidades Electivas | La Panera Lerida | Group |
2009 | Artists of the Gallery – A Special Selection | Galerie Krinzinger, Vienne | Group |
2009 | Spheres | Le Moulin, Boissy-le-Chatel | Group |
2009 | HotchPotch | MKII, Hackney, London | Group |
2008 | Atered States of Paint | Dundee Contemporary Arts, Scotland | Group |
2008 | Afinitats electives | Centre d’art Panera, Lleida, Spain | Group |
2008 | Mapas Emarxes | Auditorio de Galicia, Santiago, Spain | Group |
2008 | Group Show | Wetterling Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden | Group |
2008 | …same as it ever was | University of the Arts, London, UK | Group |
2008 | Framat | Rekord Gallery, Oslo, Norway | Group |
2008 | Golden Rain | Stavanger, Norway | Group |
2007 | Global Feminisms | Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York, NY | Group |
2007 | Slipping Abstraction | Mead Gallery, Warwick Arts Centre | Group |
2007 | Pasiones Privadas, Visiones Publicas | MARCO, Vigo, Spain | Group |
2007 | La Vida Privada: Coleccion Josep Ma Civi’ | CDNA Centro de Arte y Naturaleza, Huesca, Spain | Group |
2007 | Sublime: Experiencias y Percepciones en Escultura Contemporanea | Galeria Pilar Parra y Romero, Madrid, Spain | Group |
2006 | Angela de la Cruz Trabalho Work | Culturgest, Porto, Portugal | Solo |
2006 | Contrabando | Galeria Luisa Strina, Sao Paulo, Brazil | Group |
2005 | Angela de la Cruz | Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo, Sevilla, Spain | Solo |
2005 | Angela de la Cruz | Anna Schwartz Gallery, Melbourne, Australia | Solo |
2005 | Angela de la Cruz | Loushy Art & Editions, Tel Aviv, Israel | Solo |
2005 | Mallorca Open ’05: Principles of Construction | Centre Cultural Andratx | Group |
2005 | Group Show | Albright Knox Museum, Buffalo, USA | Group |
2005 | Showcase | Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh, UK | Group |
2005 | 2 Bienal de Jafre, Spain, Comisarios: Mario Flecha y Carolina Grau | Group | |
2004 | Angela de la Cruz | Museo de Arte Contemporanea de Vigo, MARCO, Spain | Solo |
2004 | Angela de la Cruz | Lisson Gallery, London, UK | Solo |
2004 | Angela de la Cruz | Nicolas Krupp Gallery, Basel, Switzerland | Solo |
2004 | Angela de la Cruz | Project room, ARCO, Madrid, Spain | Solo |
2004 | ShowCASe Preview | South London Gallery, London | Group |
2004 | Pilot:1, International Art Forum | Old Limehouse Town Hall, London, E14, Forum Barcelona, Spain | Group |
2004 | Group Show | Tanya Rumpff Gallery, Haarlem, The Netherlands | Group |
2004 | Manifesta V | San Sebastian, Spain | Group |
2004 | Escape Velocities | Spital Space, London | Group |
2004 | A Thing About Painting | Platform Gallery, London | Group |
2004 | Painting as Process: Re-evaluating Painting | Earl Lu Gallery I and II, LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts | Group |
2003 | Angela de la Cruz | Galleri Bouhlou, Norway | Solo |
2003 | Clutter | Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna, Austria | Solo |
2003 | Tra Est e Ovest - Galerie Krinzinger | GAS Art Gallery, Turin, Italy | Group |
2003 | Chockofuckingblock | Jeffrey Charles Gallery, London | Group |
2003 | Group Show | Whitechapel Project Space, London | Group |
2003 | Wetterling 1978-2003 | Wetterling Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden | Group |
2002 | Angela de la Cruz | Anna Schwartz Gallery, Melbourne, Australia | Solo |
2002 | Prop | Sturegallerian, Stockholm, Sweden | Solo |
2002 | Angela de la Cruz | Wetterling Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden | Solo |
2002 | Perth International Arts Festival | The Church Gallery, Perth, Australia | Solo |
2002 | Eva Schlegel & Friends | Gallerie 422, Gmunden, Austria | Group |
2002 | Four Women and A Pregnant Man | Galleri MGM, Oslo, Norway | Group |
2002 | Art | Bermuda National Gallery, Bermuda | Group |
2002 | Life is Beautiful | Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle | Group |
2002 | Sitting Tenants | Lotta Hammer, London | Group |
2001 | Angela de la Cruz | Anthony Wilkinson Gallery, London | Solo |
2001 | Melancholy | Sunderland | Group |
2001 | Ingenting (Nothing: Exploring Invisibilities) | Rooseum, Malmo, Sweden | Group |
2001 | Record Collection | VTO Gallery, London | Group |
2001 | Nothing: Exploring Invisibilities | Northern Gallery Contemporary Art | Group |
2001 | Nothing: Exploring Invisibilities | Mead Gallery, University of Warwick, Warwick | Group |
2001 | Makeshift | University of Brighton Gallery, Brighton | Group |
2000 | Angela de la Cruz | John Weber Gallery, New York, USA | Solo |
2000 | Landscape | Barbara Gillman Gallery, Miami, USA | Group |
2000 | 3 Rooms | Anthony Wilkinson Gallery, London | Group |
2000 | The Wreck of Hope | The Nunnery, London | Group |
2000 | Point of View I-II | Richard Salmon Gallery, London | Group |
2000 | Art for the 21st Century | John Weber Gallery, New York, USA | Group |
1999 | Everyday Painting | Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna, Austria | Solo |
1999 | One Painting | Lift Gallery, London, UK | Solo |
1999 | My Old Man Said Follow the Van | Rosemary Branch, London | Group |
1999 | Aktuelle Kunst | The Water Tower, Vlissingen, The Netherlands | Group |
1999 | White Out | Gallery Fine, London | Group |
1999 | John Moores 21 | Walker Museum & Art Gallery, Liverpool | Group |
1999 | Getting the Corners | Or Gallery, Vancouver, Canada | Group |
1999 | Transgressions and Transformations | Yale University, New Haven, USA | Group |
1999 | Europe on a Shoestring | John Weber Gallery, New York, USA | Group |
1999 | Links- Schilderkunst in extremis? | Provincienhuis, Maastricht, The Netherlands | Group |
1999 | I’m a Virgin | The Waiting Room, Wolverhampton | Group |
1999 | Group Show | French Institute, Vienna, Austria | Group |
1999 | Group Show | Fundacion Lazaro Guadiano, Madrid, Spain | Group |
1999 | Peinture sur PEINTURE | Salle de Bal, Vienna, Austria | Group |
1999 | 54x54 | MOCA, London | Group |
1998 | Larger Than Life | The Ballroom, Royal Festival Hall, London, UK | Solo |
1998 | Everyday Painting | Anthony Wilkinson Gallery, London, UK | Solo |
1998 | 4xSolo | De Markten, Brussels, Belgium | Solo |
1998 | Everyday Painting | John Weber Gallery, New York, USA | Solo |
1998 | UK Maximum Diversity | Benger Fabrik, Bregenz | Group |
1998 | UK Maximum Diversity | Atelierhaus der Akademie der bildenden Kunste, Vienna | Group |
1998 | Contemporary Women Painters | The Hillwood Art Museum, Brookville, NY | Group |
1998 | Speed | The New Langton Arts Centre, San Francisco, USA | Group |
1998 | Destroyer – Creator | John Weber Gallery, New York, USA | Group |
1997 | Angela de la Cruz | Galerie In Situ, Aalst, Belgium | Solo |
1997 | Take Off | Benger Fabrik Bregenz, Hamburg, Germany | Group |
1997 | Dissolution | Laurent Delaye Gallery, London | Group |
1997 | Fasten Seatbelt | Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna | Group |
1997 | Shuttle | Anthony Wilkinson Fine Art, London | Group |
1997 | Lineart | Galerie In Situ, Aalst, Belgium | Group |
1996 | Stepping Out | 33 Great Sutton Street, London | Group |
1996 | Wasted | Hyena Co., Web-site, UK | Group |
1996 | Abstract Eroticism | MOCA, Art and Design, Academy Editions, London | Group |
1995 | Memory | Riverside Studios, London | Group |
1994 | Making Mischief | St James’s Street, London | Group |
1994 | Surface Tension | Curwen Gallery, London | Group |
1993 | Untitled | Premises, Hackney, London, UK | Solo |
1993 | Rubber Works Installation | Spitalfields Market Project, London | Group |