Arca's 'Angels' Exhibition at ICA London Explores Painting as Transformative Gesture

Currently, the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London is featuring 'Angels,' a fresh exhibition by Venezuelan artist Arca, which will be on display until 19 April 2026. This showcase includes her latest paintings from the Angels series. Known for her diverse talents in music and performance, Arca returns to the ICA more than ten years after her initial vocal performance there. The artwork utilizes mixed media, such as paint and marker, resulting in surfaces where marks continuously form and fade. The pieces suggest bodies without definitive representation, linked by a visual language of repetition and variation. Rather than focusing on narrative, the exhibition serves as a reflection on gesture, surface, and instability, highlighting themes of vulnerability, distortion, and release. Arca treats painting as a tangible site where the transient becomes concrete, creating a show that vibrates with the idea of transformation as both process and significance. This focused yet expansive exhibition represents Arca's latest venture in London.