Angela de la Cruz
Encyclopedia
Angela de la Cruz is a Spanish artist. She was nominated for the Turner Prize
in 2010.
De la Cruz was born in La Coruña. She studied philosophy at the University of Santiago de Compostela
, before moving to London
in 1989, where she studied art at the Chelsea College of Art, Goldsmiths College
and Slade School of Art (University College, London). She lives and works in London. She has a daughter, born in 2005 while she was in a coma
after suffering a brain haemorrhage.
While studying at the Slade School of Art (University College London
), she removed the stretcher
of a painted canvas
(it is often said that it was accidentally broken, although she may have removed it deliberately). She was inspired by the resulting saggy painting, and she has become best known for paintings which are deliberately broken or distorted. In her words: "One day I took the cross bar out and the painting bent. From that moment on, I looked at the painting as an object." Her work, treating paintings as a three-dimensional object rather than a two-dimensional representation, follows a tradition that includes the spatialism
of Lucio Fontana
in the 1940s.
Her 1995 work "Ashamed" is a small straw-yellow painting, broken in half, which is exhibited wedged into a corner between two gallery walls. The similar 1996 work "Homeless", a much larger canvas of similar pale yellow hue, has its frame broken in two and folded, and is exhibited lurking in a corner, standing on the gallery floor. Waldemar Januszczak
has described both as "urine coloured". "Self" (1997) comprises two brown paintings: one draped over a chair facing another hung conventionally 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 into a heap and abandoned on the gallery floor, resembling a discarded black plastic bag. Some works since 2000 have incorporated objects, such as chairs, tables or wardrobes, sometimes adorned with broken canvases. Her "Clutter" series (2003-5) bring together collections of waste art materials. Her "Deflated" paintings (2009-) hang forlornly from a hook, with no frame. "Flat" (2009) comprises a plastic and metal chair which has collapsed onto the floor.
She was commissioned to paint "Larger Than Life" in 1998 for the ballroom at the Royal Festival Hall
.
She 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 nominated for the Turner Prize
in 2010.
Turner Prize
The Turner Prize, named after the painter J. M. W. Turner, is an annual prize presented to a British visual artist under the age of 50. Awarding the prize is organised by the Tate gallery and staged at Tate Britain. Since its beginnings in 1984 it has become the United Kingdom's most publicised...
in 2010.
De la Cruz was born in La Coruña. She studied philosophy at the University of Santiago de Compostela
University of Santiago de Compostela
The Royal University of Santiago de Compostela - USC is a public university located in the city of Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain. A second campus is located in Lugo, Galicia....
, before moving to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1989, where she studied art at the Chelsea College of Art, Goldsmiths College
Goldsmiths College
Goldsmiths, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom which specialises in the arts, humanities and social sciences, and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It was founded in 1891 as Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute...
and Slade School of Art (University College, London). She lives and works in London. She has a daughter, born in 2005 while she was in a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
after suffering a brain haemorrhage.
While studying at the Slade School of Art (University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
), she removed the stretcher
Stretcher bar
A stretcher bar is used to construct a wooden stretcher frame used by artists to mount their canvases. They are traditionally a wooden framework support on which an artist fastens a piece of canvas...
of a painted canvas
Canvas
Canvas is an extremely heavy-duty plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, and other items for which sturdiness is required. It is also popularly used by artists as a painting surface, typically stretched across a wooden frame...
(it is often said that it was accidentally broken, although she may have removed it deliberately). She was inspired by the resulting saggy painting, and she has become best known for paintings which are deliberately broken or distorted. In her words: "One day I took the cross bar out and the painting bent. From that moment on, I looked at the painting as an object." Her work, treating paintings as a three-dimensional object rather than a two-dimensional representation, follows a tradition that includes the spatialism
Spatialism
Spatialism is an art movement founded by Italian artist Lucio Fontana in Milan in 1947 in which he grandiosely intended to synthesize colour, sound, space, movement, and time into a new type of art. The main ideas of the movement were anticipated in his Manifesto blanco published in Buenos Aires...
of Lucio Fontana
Lucio Fontana
Lucio Fontana was an Italian painter, sculptor and theorist of Argentine birth. He was mostly known as the founder of Spatialism and his ties to Arte Povera.-Early life:...
in the 1940s.
Her 1995 work "Ashamed" is a small straw-yellow painting, broken in half, which is exhibited wedged into a corner between two gallery walls. The similar 1996 work "Homeless", a much larger canvas of similar pale yellow hue, has its frame broken in two and folded, and is exhibited lurking in a corner, standing on the gallery floor. Waldemar Januszczak
Waldemar Januszczak
Waldemar Januszczak is a British art critic. Formerly the art critic of The Guardian, he now writes for The Sunday Times, and has twice won the Critic of the Year award...
has described both as "urine coloured". "Self" (1997) comprises two brown paintings: one draped over a chair facing another hung conventionally 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 into a heap and abandoned on the gallery floor, resembling a discarded black plastic bag. Some works since 2000 have incorporated objects, such as chairs, tables or wardrobes, sometimes adorned with broken canvases. Her "Clutter" series (2003-5) bring together collections of waste art materials. Her "Deflated" paintings (2009-) hang forlornly from a hook, with no frame. "Flat" (2009) comprises a plastic and metal chair which has collapsed onto the floor.
She was commissioned to paint "Larger Than Life" in 1998 for the ballroom at the Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
.
She exhibited at Manifesta 5
Manifesta
Manifesta, the , is a European pan-regional contemporary cultural biennale, described in 2010 by the as "stunning in its scope and uncompromisingly experimental in its approach".-Manifesta History:...
at San Sebastián
San Sebastián
Donostia-San Sebastián is a city and municipality located in the north of Spain, in the coast of the Bay of Biscay and 20 km away from the French border. The city is the capital of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. The municipality’s population is 186,122 , and its...
in 2004. Her first solo exhibition in the UK, entitled "After", was held at Camden Arts Centre
Camden Arts Centre
Camden Arts Centre is a contemporary visual art gallery, dedicated to engaging living artists from across the world. Positioning the artist at the centre of the programme, Camden Arts Centre strives to involve the public in the ideas and work of today's artists.The exhibition and education...
in April and May 2010. She was nominated for the Turner Prize
Turner Prize
The Turner Prize, named after the painter J. M. W. Turner, is an annual prize presented to a British visual artist under the age of 50. Awarding the prize is organised by the Tate gallery and staged at Tate Britain. Since its beginnings in 1984 it has become the United Kingdom's most publicised...
in 2010.
External links
- Tate: Turner Prize 2010: Angela de la Cruz A look at the artist's work. 22 October 2010