BIRMINGHAM.- Ikon presents rarely seen works by acclaimed artist Angela de la Cruz alongside a new commission developed in collaboration with Birmingham Royal Ballet. Guest curated by Carolina Grau, the exhibition brings together key sculptures, installations and paintings that explore de la Cruz’s deep concern with the human body, vulnerability and the physical realities of everyday survival.

For more than three decades, de la Cruz has pushed the boundaries of painting and sculpture. Her works interrogate what happens when familiar structures — physical, emotional, architectural — collapse or resist pressure. Entering the exhibition, viewers encounter Still Life with Table (2000) – a black canvas roughly stretched over collapsed domestic objects – and Limp (Brown) (2000), a stretched painting held upright by another canvas that has been stitched into it. In Bloated III (Blue) (2012) a shimmering metal box – hammered from the inside – evokes the liminal state between one form and another. Capturing the physical dimensions of de la Cruz’s body, these sculptural paintings invite reflection on human adaptation and resilience.

Displayed at the centre of the exhibition is Transfer (White) with armchair (2011). Drawing on de la Cruz’s long periods spent in hospital after her stroke in 2005, the poignant sculpture reflects her experience of the seemingly eternal wait to be moved and reliance on others, with a single box that traces the volume of her body suspended between two poles. Almost entirely white, the installation creates a seemingly perfect environment – sterilised and neutral – while keeping the viewer at a distance.

The title of the exhibition, UPRIGHT, implies standing straight – both alone and with support – to remain vertical. Figurative associations between objects depict this stance with pathos and humour: in Three Legged Chair on Stool (2002) a chair deprived of one leg manages to stay upright by sitting on a stool, while in Reach (Red & Black) Two Parts (2002), a painting squashes another canvas as it climbs on top to reach above it.

The exhibition features a new commission which is inspired by the time de la Cruz has spent with dancers from Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) since October 2025, observing them during their rehearsals for annual performances of Sir Peter Wright’s acclaimed production of The Nutcracker. This new work draws parallels between the broken nutcracker doll, the dancers’ ability to convey fragility with strength, and the ways in which her own work binds materials in elegant yet robust configurations. A unique response to de la Cruz’s work by BRB artist Olivia Chang-Clarke will be presented during the exhibition.

Several works in UPRIGHT have not been seen for more than 20 years. For only the second time since it was made, Upright Piano (1999) – a sculpture in which de la Cruz joined and restrung a piano with the bottom section of another to create an instrument that could be played at standing human height – will be restored and activated by professional musicians. Through these evocative object-based narratives, de la Cruz highlights life’s shifting conditions: from the joy of dance and music to the body’s remarkable ability to adapt to the most challenging physical circumstances.

Born in La Coruña, Spain, and based in London, Angela de la Cruz (b. 1965) has been a leading figure in contemporary sculpture and expanded painting for more than thirty years. She was nominated for the Turner Prize in 2010, and this exhibition marks her first solo exhibition in the UK outside London.