Gabrielle Garland
Thoughtful still life
“I do not want to impose a particular meaning on a space or a painting, but I want to study and document all the ways we can experience space.”
Whimsical and surreal, Gabrielle Garland paints all kinds of houses. Each has a different feel and morphs into stretched and obscure shapes. “For me, space is something we experience visually and haptically, so texture and pattern are essential components of our experience.” Pale pinks, dusty greens and dark blues sweep across the lopsided buildings and driveways. Interestingly, the paintings never show the inhabitants of these spaces. Instead, Garland uses objects and details to suggest their presence – the viewer is left to make their own decisions about who lives there, and how they live.
O...
Whimsical and surreal, Gabrielle Garland paints all kinds of houses. Each has a different feel and morphs into stretched and obscure shapes. “For me, space is something we experience visually and haptically, so texture and pattern are essential components of our experience.” Pale pinks, dusty greens and dark blues sweep across the lopsided buildings and driveways. Interestingly, the paintings never show the inhabitants of these spaces. Instead, Garland uses objects and details to suggest their presence – the viewer is left to make their own decisions about who lives there, and how they live.
On a theoretical level, Garland is most interested in the ways we claim and lose space. “Space, design and architecture are timeless concerns,” she says. “They are at the core of our civilization and history. Humans have always had a need and drive to make a home for themselves – whatever the setting and circumstances.” These ideas really highlight the paradox of humanity – while we're all endlessly different and complex, there are many things that make us the same. One of them is that all of us, in our way, need a place to call home.
Gabrielle Garland (she/her) was born in 1968 in New York, USA. She currently lives and works in New York, USA.
Gabrielle Garland has been widely exhibited. In 2014 her work was included inNow Chicago, an exhibition of contemporary artists in Chicago at the Sydney Biennale. She’s also exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in Chicago and Art Basel, Miami.
“Humans have always had the need and drive to make a home for themselves, whatever the setting and circumstances. My work addresses only a small slice of this vast context, so I know I can never exhaust my subject matter.”
