Angélica Turner (b. 1989, Johannesburg, South Africa and raised in Santiago, Chile) is a visual artist currently living in San Francisco, California. Her studio practice is always mutating, allowing new inspiration and life events to impact on it.
“I create expressionist paintings and collages that explore the intricate connection between nature and emotions. My artwork serves to address various personal experiences, including grief, motherhood, immigration, and infertility, enabling me to define my own identity within these narratives. Through a layered approach, I intricately weave elements from the organic world—such as ferns or flowers—into an intuitive process, resembling a healing journey in search of my unique method of symbolization. I leverage the accidental abstractions that arise from the disposable color palettes I employ as part of my process, utilizing them as a foundation to inform my color decisions and as material for new works in other mediums. This openness to new directions leads to paintings and cut-outs that emerge from a cyclical loop between past and present gestures, forging paths for future artistic possibilities.”
Education
2011
BFA, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
2012
Postgraduate in Art Education, Universidad de Los Andes, Santiago, Chile.
Selected Exhibitions
2024
Embodied Perspectives, Alma Rise, San Francisco, CA.
Women Rising, The Drawing Room, San Francisco, CA.
(Three person show) Flexible Hours, Wave Collective Space, San Francisco, CA.
2023
(Solo) After the storm, Firehouse Arts Center, Pleasanton, CA.
(Solo) Being Here / Being Everywhere, Retreat Studios, San Francisco, CA.
Root Division's Annual Auction, Root Division, San Francisco, CA.
Refussés of the Bay, Voss Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
Rebirth, WAVE Collective Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
Tending Gardens / Fertile Grounds, Root Division, San Francisco, CA.
More is More, Hot House Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
WAVE Group Show, WAVE Collective Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
2022
Root Division’s 21st Annual Auction, Root Division, San Francisco, CA.
Unfurl, 80 Albion, San Francisco, CA.
RD Makes, Root Division, San Francisco, CA.
2021
(Solo) Navigating the Unexpected, curated by 4B Art Department, The Mill, San Francisco, CA.
(Solo) Slate Art Gallery Off-Site Exhibition, 555 City Center, Oakland, CA.
RD Makes, Root Division, San Francisco, CA.
Root Division’s 20th Annual Auction, Root Division, San Francisco, CA.
ArtAuction21: Reconnecting in Resilience, SOMArts Cultural Center in San Francisco, CA.
Taste, Root Division, San Francisco, CA.
2020
RD Makes, Root Division, San Francisco, CA.
Future Tense, Drawing Room Annex, San Francisco, CA.
RD Makes, Root Division, San Francisco, CA.
Root Division’s 19th Annual Auction, Root Division, San Francisco, CA.
Women Rising, Drawing Room Annex, San Francisco, CA.
2019
(Solo) Her Turbulence, Frank Ratchye Studio Artist Project Space, curated by Alicia McDaniel, Root Division, San Francisco, CA.
Reflexions from Exile, curated by Jaenette Alanis, Root Division, San Francisco, CA.
RD Makes, curated by Samantha Reynolds, Root Division, San Francisco, CA.
Root Division’s 18th Annual Auction, Root Division, San Francisco, CA.
Scintilla Art Box Project, curated by Sarah E. Swist, Hastings College, Hastings, NE.
LA Artcore 5th Annual Juried Exhibit, The Brewery, Los Angeles, CA.
SNAP!, Arc Gallery, San Francisco, CA. Awarded as one of the ten works with highest combined juror points.
2018
6x6 Be There Be Square, Las Laguna Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA.
2017
(Solo) Después de la Lluvia, Teatro de Zapallar, Chile.
(Solo) Naturaleza Progresiva, Centro Cívico de Vitacura, Santiago, Chile.
Awards / Residencies
2023
Residency at MAM Chiloé (Museum of Modern Art), Chiloé, Chile.
2019-2022
Studio Artist, Root Division, San Francisco, CA.
2011
Merit Scholarship Vocación Profesor (Teacher Vocation) given by MINEDUC, Santiago, Chile.
BFA, graduated with two votes of distinction, Santiago, Chile.
Further Education
2019
Attendance to the course “Pics or it didn’t happen” by Alex Arzt at San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA.
2019
Attendance to the course “The Structured Accident” by Allison Miller at San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA.
2013
Certificate of Attendance to “Drawing London on Location” at Central Saint Martin`s College of Arts and Design, University of the Arts London, UK.
Certificate of Attendance to the course “Introduction to the History of Art” at Central Saint Martin’s College of Arts and Design, University of the Arts London, UK.
Press
2023
Hyperallergic, “A View From the Easel”, Lakshmi Rivera Amin, March 16, 2023. https://hyperallergic.com/805446/a-view-from-the-easel-209/
Pleasanton Weekly, “The emotions of Nature ‘After the Storm’”, Jeremy Walsh, March 2, 2023.
https://www.pleasantonweekly.com/ae/2023/03/02/the-emotions-of-nature-after-the-storm/
2020
Local News Matter, “Reflecting on our times through art”, Gina Gotsill, September 17, 2020.
https://localnewsmatters.org/2020/09/17/reflecting-on-our-times-through-art/
Teaching and related work
2019-2020
Root Division Adult Education Oil Painting 101, San Francisco, CA.
Root Division Adult Education Oil Painting Nature+Landscape, San Francisco, CA.
Volunteering Art Classes, Sanchez Elementary School, through the Root Division Youth Ed Program, San Francisco, CA.
2017-2018
Colegio Huelén, Santiago, Chile.
2018 Head Teacher 12th Grade.
Senior High School Teacher: Art History, Contemporary Art, Drawing and Painting.
Art Teacher Elementary School and High School.
Arts and Crafts workshop for pre-school, After School Program.
2017
After School Program Villa María Academy, Watercolor Classes, Santiago, Chile.
Biblioteca Escolar Futuro volunteering: Drawing Workshops at different places, including Santiago’s Penitentiary Center for Women and Youth Correctional Facility, Santiago, Chile.
2014-2016
Centro Educacional San Esteban Mártir, Santiago, Chile.
Art Teacher Middle and High School, 70% students from underprivileged backgrounds.
2016 9th grade Head Teacher.
Drawing and painting Workshops, After School Program.