Adrian Abela

Adrian Abela (b. 1989, Malta) is an artist and architect based in Los Angeles. Working across sculpture, drawing, imprints, and installation, he draws on architecture-derived methodologies and collaborative processes to explore parallel experiences of the human condition, connecting present circumstances with past and future realities. His work often begins with an interest in particular materials or narratives, moving between poetry and metaphor to interpret the experience of being on Earth. His exhibition FOREWOR(L)D (Make Room, Los Angeles, 2018), the summation of a month-long residency at the gallery, engaged the slow exchange between physical and non-physical realms, combining classical symbolism with internet image textures and archaeological interpretations of sidewalks and other traces.

Abela studied architecture and civil engineering in Malta and Milan and received his MFA in Sculpture from UCLA in 2018. In 2017 he was selected to represent Malta at the country's National Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. He completed a residency at Make Room, Los Angeles, in 2018, and has held solo exhibitions in Malta and participated in exhibitions across Europe, Asia, and the United States. His work and profile have been covered by Artpaper and Voyage LA.