Amalia Angulo
The artists discusses growing up in Havana, Cuba, the inner necessity of being a painter and the line between beauty and the grotesque.
Amalia Angulo was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1980, and currently lives and works in New York. She studied at The Chavón School of Design of Parsons in the Dominican Republic. She has previously shown with Casa de Teatro and Nader Gallery in the Dominican Republic; Sean Horton Presents in New York City; and Stellar Highway and The Trophy Room in LA.
Mepaintsme: You were born and raised in Cuba, and now live in the Hudson Valley in Upstate NY. Do you have strong memories of growing up in Cuba?
Amalia Angelo: Yes, I hold many memories and recollections that are the most important to me. The landscape, the books I read as a child, my grandparents, family, our ocean, the magical national art school where my parents studied and later taught. Despite all the vicissitudes I experienced, much of what I like most about myself and consider valuable comes from my childhood in Cuba. Although I recognize that my experience was different from most, as my parents are artists and I grew up among artists. I believe that those who can live a decent, fulfilling life and feel safe in the country where they were born are truly privileged.
MPM: Your paintings have evolved from when I first encountered your work. I remember them being painted primarily in black and white, highly sexual, with an eerie realism. Since then you've introduced color which changed the mood of the work quite dramatically. Were there any specific circumstances or ideas that lead to this change?
AA: I believe the triggers that used to inspire that type of work are no longer present. Reality has changed, and so have I.
MPM: Aside from the more colorful palette finding its way into your work, your subjects have become more voluptuous and exaggerated. Their simplicity of form and mass remind me of some of Picasso's classical figures. Can you speak to this evolution?
AA: Inner necessity drives all these choices, and while there is a conscious aspect to this process, I believe it’s more about intuitively recognizing what works aesthetically for me and what doesn’t. Referencing important masters from the past is also crucial, as their work continually teaches me. It’s important to understand everything that has been done before, the rules that have been broken, and the freedom this provides in the creative process.
MPM: True, painters naturally look at other painters for inspiration. What artists do you find yourself interested in looking at?
AA: It's something that constantly changes. Currently, I am very interested in Neo Rauch, Henri Rousseau, and Francisco de Goya.
MPM: You have a unique vantage point of both the United States and Cuba and their political/economic realities. Is there a critique of either built into these narratives?
AA: No, I believe that the role of the artist should not be that of a critic, journalist, writer, or sociologist. For me, it’s about working at the level of pure perception and intuition—almost a kind of clairvoyance. This approach turns a painting or drawing into a reflection of reality on a subtle, subconscious level, evoking an emotional response rather than presenting an idea or opinion in a rational or conscious way.
MPM: The line between beauty and the grotesque is often blurred in the way you approach the flesh. Your figures sometime look as if their skin has been stripped to just muscle tissue, or bronzed and sunburnt to the point of taking on the quality of sausages about to burst from their casing! Can you talk about this beauty/grotesque dynamic?
AA: It’s the best way I’ve discovered so far to convey sensations experienced in the body, which are caused by mental processes such as feelings of inadequacy, shame, guilt, and other social constructs influenced by family or cultural dynamics. At the same time, it’s simply an instinct that this is how the character looks—there’s no real explanation for why; it just is, and it cannot be otherwise.
MPM: Thank you so much for talking! Do you have any upcoming projects you'd like let us know about?
AA: Thank you for letting participate in this conversation! Yes, I have some new projects coming up, and I’m very excited about them. Right now, in August, I’m participating in two group shows: one at the Belgian gallery Private Walls and the other at The Hole in NYC.
View more paintings by Amalia Angulo on Instagram.
great work!