Gabriella Garcia

Gabriella Garcia (Rio de Janeiro, 1992) is a self-taught artist whose practice moves between sculpture, painting, and installation. Her work not only engages with the space it occupies but also with its origins and references. Cut-out figures take shape within the environment through various materials, resulting in compositions that evoke theatricality, architecture, and narrative reconstruction—often incorporating elements recovered and restored by the artist herself.
In the creation of an image, whether two- or three-dimensional, Garcia works in a continuous process of fusion—an ongoing pursuit of material assimilation that, in its essence, carries historical data and proposes new forms of representation by challenging established historical narratives.
Her works establish a dynamic interplay between gesture and nature, manipulation and restructuring, creating a field of tension where the artistic act becomes a unique tool for rewriting our own history.

I think it’s important to start this text by giving you some context—my field of production is undeniably broad. If you follow my work or observe it over time, you’ll notice that I don’t confine myself to a specific technique or a defined segment. However, I can assure you that “consequences of identity” will always be present, manifested through what I might call small obsessions, passions, or even addictions.

These hyper-fixations become major influences in my research, and without a doubt, the strongest of them is the practice of retrieval—scavenging, the relentless search for something I often don’t even know I’m looking for. Chance is a powerful ally, giving rise to unexpected narratives and allowing me to create new stories from the historical weight embedded in an object. Through iconography and materiality, I have the opportunity to construct—and at times, deconstruct—these historical narratives that are inherently present. The narratives take shape as I assimilate and fuse these materials, resulting in works that (at least in my mind) emerge as a new mythology or even a new species.

The power of fabrication also fascinates me, both in historically embedded colonial narratives and in the possibility of using that same strategy to propose new ways of thinking—for example, the idea of layering, weight, and balance. To forge them. To stage them, as if in an arena where each spectator sees from a different angle.

Illusion captivates me. Sculpture takes me to that place.

Painting, on the other hand, transports me beyond time, leading me into a different creative process—one that is slower, more fluid, more expansive. It doesn’t happen necessarily when I want it to, but always when I need it the most.

Finally, I have exciting news:

In August 2025, at the invitation of the program’s directors, I will be part of the Sicily Art Residency Program, held at Palazzo Previtera in Linguaglossa, Sicily, in southern Italy. During the residency, I will create three works that belong to three significant series I have been developing for years: This Dream May Not Happen, Nós Não Somos Assim Tão Fortes (We Are Not That Strong), and Jurei Mentiras (I Swore Lies). These series explore the inversion of roles while addressing the ideas of representation and reproduction in history.

At the end of the residency, I will present these works in an installation format at the SARP Gallery, with the exhibition open to the public from September 14 to October 14. This is a deeply meaningful project for me, and I’m incredibly excited—it feels fitting to be in Italy, engaging with everything my research delves into.

You can find out more about Gabriella at @gabriellinha__ // www.gabriellagarcia.com.br

Photos: B&W: Anita Goes. Others: Courtesy of the artist.