GABRIEL DANIEL
Hi, thank you for stopping by; I'm Gabriel.
One of my many passions in life is visually crafting stories through my art and photography.
Always exploring and draw inspiration not only from my surroundings but, from my internal landscape too.
A “self-taught artist”, who is open to learning and exploring the diverse world of art. My journey started out in fashion photography where I lived in Italy for some time.
However, as a multifaceted artist, I’ve also delved into abstract painting, still-life, digital art, sculptor, wall art, and in later years woodworking.
Yet, this is far from my early days, like many of us who've journeyed into multiple fields of studies and job careers these days, I'm no exception.
In my case, I graduated as a production and mechanical engineer, with the intention to join the Swedish air force. Of course, to my disappointment at the time, I wasn’t excepted so I set out to make new plans for myself.
Thus, I decided to move to the US and Australia, where I landed a job for Nikon, working as a camera technician overseeing their underwater division Nikonos.
Through a chain of circumstances, I left that position and started working for various studios in Sydney as a photographic assistant.
Yet, who could have foreseen that my role as an assistant, serendipitously opened the doors to what would become a ten-year-long passage as a part-time model and performer? Have worked with the Australian Opera, with over 250 performances, and the Sydney Dance Company (contemporary ballet) to name a few.
These were memorable years indeed, even so, I left that career behind starting a new chapter in my life. Having never abandoned my own artistic outlet, the subject of personal growth, metaphysics, and delving into studying various forms of Bio-Energetic healing modalities began to take the centre stage.
In the course of time, I did become a certified practitioner in some of them, such
thought field therapy (TFT) a Tapping technique, Reiki, Theta activation, and Tan Tien qi gong.
However, there is another chapter in my life that deserves a mention, as it had a profound impact on my overall outlook on life, and consequently affected my artistic direction. I was able to work in color for the first time, prior to this my work had a somber "overtone" let's say.
That is, I became a devoted Buddhist practitioner, spanning some 7 years studying the Dharma. I even took the 5 lay woes and was given the official Tibetan name Thubten Samten. Though today, I no longer take part in the Sangha (Buddhist community), yet, Its teachings and psychology remain an integral part of my being.
If you’ve been scrolling through my virtual gallery of images, you may recognize that much of my photographic work seeks the amalgamation between abstraction and Surrealism, (as a child I did visit Dali's studio in Spain).
Though, elements of Dadaism do prevail in my work too, perhaps more so from a philosophical standpoint. As I too, to some degree hold the anti-aesthetic viewpoint and thus challenge the traditional interpretation of art. Meaning, there is no prerequisite that art should strive to be beautiful.
For me, being able to add digital layers to my captured works expands the scope of possibilities blurring the lines of what's considered reality.
It challenges the spectators' own perceptions, as to the true nature of reality, invoking a deeper sense of curiosity and wonder.
The fusion of my artistic temperament with that of the lens serves as the perfect marriage, to convey my emotions and my ever-changing perception of reality.
If you are interested in my work or would like to collaborate, don't hesitate to reach out.
With respect,
Gabriel.