Dita Angeles

With a strong background in portraiture, social presentation, perception and persuasion are the dominant themes that run through Dita Angeles' work.  Her paintings are inspired by existential philosophies and 20th century aesthetics, and depict social issues and personal moments that incorporate the spectacle of contemporary media and culture, paying close attention to behaviour, ego, identity and anonymity.
Born and raised in Auckland, Angeles completed her BFA at Whitecliffe College in 2004 before spending the majority of her career in Asia and more recently Australia. She is an international award-winning artist with work in private collections in Hong Kong, South Korea, France, USA, UK, Canada, Australia, French Polynesia and New Zealand, including the Arts House Trust Collection in Auckland.
She is currently a finalist in the 2024 Adam Portraiture Award for her piece It's Love, featuring Kiwi punk legend Chris Knox, and Highly Commended in the Stuff Art Aotearoa Gold Award, Auckland Art Show, 2024.

Do you have a favourite colour? 
It might be red... but I'm not sure. Red might be more of a habit than a favourite, but I'll say red because I am automatically drawn to it. Primary red, cadmium red, cherry red, mid-life crisis sports car red. Every red but muted, soiled, or cowardly reds like burgundy or terracotta. 

How do you take your coffee? 
-at home = instant decaf with Chinese five spice and cream.
-at a cafe = cappuccino with cinnamon, caffeine, cow milk, and the jitters.

Is there something you can’t live without in your studio? 
Order. I rearrange and adjust things every day. I can't work until I've re-ordered something.

Who is your favourite artist of all time +  now? Why? 
-all time = Vladimir Nabokov (writer). why = because his command of languages engorges his devilish witt and convoluted plots in the most charming and hospitable of ways.
-now = Jennifer McRae (painter). why = because her portraits are a bit flat, a bit stretched, void of ego, sprightly coloured - in a normal way, use strange volumes, are a total mess, suggest naïveté whilst actually being precisely sophisticated.

 


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