Biography of Anya Gallaccio
San Diego-based installation artist Anya Gallaccio (born 1963 in Paisley, UK) is most known for her use of organic materials such as sugar, fruit, or flowers. Her transient works alter an exhibition space showcasing decaying, melting, and dispersing works for the duration of the show. This ephemerality is the result of the artist's refusal to preserve her works. She is careful to dismantle and destroy what remains of all her site-specific pieces and avoids permanent installations. This makes her multiples an extremely rare object in her oeuvre.
The artist Anya Gallaccio has strong associations with many of the Young British Artists, having exhibited in Hirst's renowned exhibition Freeze in 1988 and the East Country Yard shows of 1990. She has exhibited extensively, including solo exhibitions at the Tate Britain, London and at the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham, England. In 2003, Gallaccio was shortlisted for the Turner Prize.