Swiss-born, New York-based artist Angela Santana unveils her second solo exhibition at Saatchi Yates Gallery, a bold exploration that redefines how the female form is represented in contemporary art.
Known for her commanding, large-scale oil paintings, Santana’s work critically engages with the historical depiction of the female body, questioning its long-standing impact on culture, gender, and societal norms.
In this new series, Santana looks to the digital age for inspiration, using the internet as her modern muse. She critiques the constant stream of images online, examining how these fleeting visual moments shape and distort our perceptions of the body.
The exhibition confronts the power dynamics at play in how bodies, particularly female ones, are consumed and objectified in the digital era.
Santana’s approach is both experimental and dynamic, juxtaposing the lasting, tactile quality of oil paint with the ephemeral nature of digital imagery. Through this contrast, she sparks a dialogue between artistic tradition and contemporary digital realities, asking us to consider how both mediums speak to the constant flux of modern life.
At the core of Santana’s practice is an interest in movement and transformation. Art critic Isabella Greenwood observes that Santana views the body not as static, but as a dynamic space where history, identity, and desire are constantly in motion.
By reimagining the body as an ever-evolving entity, Santana invites viewers to reconsider not just how we see the human form, but how we interact with and perceive the world around us.
With this exhibition, Santana offers a radical rethinking of the female body—not as a fixed symbol, but as a living, breathing catalyst for cultural, philosophical, and aesthetic reimaginings.
Through this powerful reclamation, she doesn’t just challenge traditional portrayals; she redefines the body itself as a site of continuous transformation and redefinition.
Artist: Angela Santana
