Biography
Delia Cancela is an Argentinian artist living and working in Buenos Aires and Paris.
She was at the heart of the international avant garde scene of the 1960’s. As an emerging artist in the 1960’s, her work was included in the exhibition « Arte Nuevo de la Argentina » (‘New Art of Argentina’, 1964) which was co-organized by the Instituto Torcuato Di Tella (ITDT) and the Walker Art Center, in Minneapolis. From her earliest works, the feminine genre is at the heart of her practice and research. She introduces the language of fashion in the sphere of art.
Delia Cancela held her first full exhibition « Love and Life » at Galería Lirolay, Buenos Aires in 1965, together with her partner, Pablo Mesejean, combining painting, set design, music and performance. A grant from the French government enabled them to travel to Paris in 1967. On their return to Argentina they participated in « Experiencias 68 ». During 1968, they held a fashion show « Ropa con Riesgo » (‘Clothing with Risk’) at ITDT. From 1970 to 1975 they lived in London where they started the Pablo & Delia clothing brand.
From the 1980’s Delia Cancela held solo exhibitions in South America, Europe and Asia. In the last years she won several awards and was nominated as exceptional personality in the cultural field by the city of Buenos Aires.
Selected exhibitions solo or collective include : « Pablo and Delia London years 1970-75 » at Judith Clark Gallery (2001), « The World Goes Pop » at the Tate Modern (2015), « International Pop » at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and the Dallas Museum of Arts (2016), and at the Museum of Arts in Philadelphia (2017). She also participated in « Excentricos y Superilustrados » at the Museum of Modern Art in Buenos Aires. In 2017, she was invited to contribute to « Radical Women » at the Hammer Museum of Los Angeles and in 2018 at the Brooklyn Museum.
In November 2018, she had a solo show at Museo De Arte Moderno in Buenos Aires.