Angela de la Cruz

Angela de la Cruz was a spanish artist. Born in A Coruna in 1965. She studied philosophy at the University of Santiago de Compostela and then moved to London to eventually study art at the Chelsea College of Art, Goldsmith College, and the Slade School of Art. Her inspiration was the result of saggy painting, and she had become best known for paintings which were deliberately broken or distorted. In addition, her work included three-dimensional objects rather than a two-dimensional. For example, one of her pieces titled "Ashamed" is a small straw-yellow painting, broken in half, wedged into a corner between two gallery walls. Another piece of hers constructed in 1996  called "Homeless", is a much larger canvas of similar pale yellow hue, its frame is broken in two and folded, and is exhibited in a corner. Her other pieces are as followed, "Self" (1997) comprises two brown paintings one draped over a chair facing another hung on the wall. "Ready to Wear" (1997–2003) is series of red canvases, part-ripped from its frame, as if the painting were getting dressed. "Nothing" (1998–2005) is a series of black canvases, crumpled and abandoned on the gallery floor, resembling a discarded black plastic bag. Some of her work since the 2000's have incorporated objects, such as chairs, tables or wardrobes, and broken canvases. Her "Clutter" series (2003) brings together collections of waste art materials. Her "Deflated" paintings (2009) hung on a hook, with no frame. "Flat" (2009) comprises a plastic and metal chair collapsed onto the floor. Her pieces were also exhibited at Manifesta 5 at San Sebastián in 2004. Her first solo exhibition in the UK, entitled "After", was held at Camden Arts Centre in April and May 2010. She was also nominated for the Turner Prize for this show in 2010. In recent years she has also used aluminium as a base material for her work. The metal is welded into shape, then crushed, beaten and distorted. This body of work has been exhibited in "Burst" at the Lisson Gallery, in 2013.

                                   

                                         "Burst" at the Lisson Gallery by Angela de la Cruz