Christina Angelina
Christina Angelina also known as "Starfighter," is a Venice, Los Angeles-based visual artist, photographer and gallerist. Angelina is internationally renowned for her public art and large-scale figurative murals and was a featured artist in the Google Art Project's Street Art Collection launched in 2016. In 2016 Angelina was highlighted as among the most innovative artists to watch in Sleek Magazine. Angelina finished "Whitney Peak," a mural commissioned by the Whitney Peak Hotel in downtown Reno, Nevada.
Early life
Angelina was surrounded by performers on the boardwalk, caricaturists creating sketches and muralists painting on walls in alleyways. Inspired by the creativity of the community, she began painting when she was a teenager, selling prints to friends and local art collectors. Angelina received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in art from UCLA in addition to studying animation at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and photography at the Art Center College of Design. After graduating college, Angelina worked in a variety of media including drawing, painting and graphic design before homing in on street art and adopting the public persona "Starfighter".Murals
Deciding to be unconstrained by the rules and spatial limits of gallery, Angelina typically paints her figurative portraits on large-scale outdoor walls. The artist is known for her detailed, realistic murals that often depict female figures and explore the duality between strength and vulnerability and the power associated with both. In line with the site specific nature of street art, Angelina paints in settings and for communities that inspire her. In an effort to give back to these communities, Angelina conducts public lectures to discuss her work and the importance of establishing local connections.Her murals are on walls throughout Los Angeles, ranging from neighborhoods such as South Central to Venice to the Downtown Arts District. Outside of Los Angeles, Angelina's work can be seen in cities that include: Berlin, Miami, Reno, New York City, Belfast and São Paulo.
In addition to urban cities, Angelina is inspired by abandoned locations that she can enliven with her work. For example, the artist collaborated with fellow muralist Ease One on an installation entitled "The Tank," located in an obscure desert setting called Slab City on the southern edge of the Salton Sea.