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ANGELA DE LA CRUZ Compressed (Orange), 2011 Oil on aluminium 130 x 80 x 60 cm Courtesy of the artist and Anna Schwartz Gallery |
Crumpled, depleted, mangled and deflated metal never looked so alive!
The new exhibition by Spanish born artist DE LA CRUZ is a triumph of vivid orange and ripe red paint. As l enter the gallery my eyes are instantly drawn to the two collapsed rectangle metal forms on the wall. The first titled Compressed (Orange) and the other titled Compressed (Red). The shape reminds me of a once used industrial air conditioning shaft. One hangs at it’s own accord painted a bright orange and the other painted a red. The tension of the metal where it has been bent and rippled is painted and seems to have a movement frozen in time. The colours make you want to caress an imagined warm surface, although logically it is cold. It looks as though these discarded forms once transferred either air or liquid from one end to another. These pieces are now out of order and are dissected as a form of appreciation.
I enjoyed the pieces “Extension 3(Red/Orange)” that l initially missed at the entrance. I small canvas freshly painted in red and orange was juxtaposed to a faded canvas that could have been a flag or a once triumphant symbol. It could have been the new complemented by the old. I mean this by comparing an entity formed by people, which is successful. The new generation continue to make it a success by the transfer of knowledge. I am thinking laterally in my own interpretations of these works.
The other piece l enjoyed named “Deflated 21 (Red)” was the canvas that had been stretched, primed and painted. It looked like it had been taken off its stretcher and hung lifeless on the wall by a nail. It hung like a dishevelled coat on a stand. It made me think that without the strength of the frame, the painted canvas looked limp and unresponsive. To put it in perspective, it was a painted canvas and not a living thing. I have been deceived and that l believe, is the exploration of the exhibition.
Each piece needed to be shown together as this strengthened the theme. In my opinion, the artist was dissecting objects in relation to its usefulness. The colours used seemed to emphasise the artistic composition. The reoccurring theme of transfer could be seen though out the show. For me as a viewer, it made me re evaluate my notions of an objects use.
4FEB – 17MAR
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