Angela Santana was born in Zurich, Switzerland and is currently based in New York City.
The mass of illicit images online mirrors its vast demand in society today as well as the fast pace of its consumption. Angela Santana is not only questioning the ethics of this phenomenon that has helped shape and distort the perception of women in our collective consciousness. She is applying these images in her work by embracing the internet as her modern-day muse.
With her unique technique, she disrupts the classic approach to oil paint; an extremely time-consuming process whereby Santana composes each artwork digitally in hundreds of layers, radically deconstructing and reinterpreting it. She is allowing the digital anomalies and flaws to drench into her work – before bringing it onto large-scale canvases in oil. These demanding larger-than-life figures and close-up portraits dominate the space in scale, forcing it to decelerate speed – both in its creation and for the viewer. Santana emphasises the strength and permanence of her work through the medium of oil painting: An opposition to the fleeting digital thumbnail.
Her works capture the strong contrast of the sharp digital process and rigid brushstroke that combine with the organic shapes of the female body, resulting in an empowering reinterpretation. The new subject has been transformed and shifted from objectification – the object has become a subject.
Her practice is the embodiment of rejecting the classical, conservative, male-dominated industry and its depiction of women throughout history. Angela Santana’s work is powerful rather than pleasing. The disruption of the painting process allows Santana to break tradition and question the status quo.
