Angela de la Cruz: Upright

25 Mar-6 Sep 2026

Overview

Ikon presents a rarely seen works by acclaimed artist Angela de la Cruz alongside a new commission developed in collaboration with Birmingham Royal Ballet.

Guest curated by Carolina Grau, the exhibition focuses on de la Cruz’s concern with the human body and the realities of everyday survival. Her sculptural paintings – such as Still Life with Table (2000), featuring canvas stretched over collapsed domestic structures, and Bloated III (Blue) (2012), composed of hammered metal – capture the physical dimensions of de la Cruz’s body and emotional relationships between strength and fragility.

Through evocative object-based narratives, de la Cruz captures life’s shifting conditions: from the joy of music in Upright Piano (1999) to the vulnerability of Transfer (2010–12). These figurative associations invite reflection on resilience, adaptation, and the human condition.

Angela de la Cruz (born 1965, La Coruña, Spain; lives London) has been experimenting with the language of painting and sculpture for more than thirty years. She was nominated for the Turner Prize in 2010, and this marks her first solo exhibition in the UK outside of London.

The exhibition is generously supported by Henry Moore Foundation.