Gabriela Gil - Siamese Fighting Fish Art

October 31, 2018

My large-scale paintings explore my personal journey of being born in Honduras, growing up throughout Latin America, and immigrating to the United States ten years ago. I believe art has the power to make the world a better place by enriching the lives of those who live with it, by collaborating on initiatives that inspire, and by giving back to the community.

The Siamese series is a body of work I began three years while using materials, color, and light to explore the concept of inner strength and grit. Flowing acrylic brushstrokes come together with thousands of metal thumbtacks to convey the delicate appearance of Siamese fighting fish, partnered with a core that resembles thousands of scales, but most importantly, the body armor of a warrior. The colors, mixed from primary colors, are meant to reflect the emotions from a specific period in time, but are also grounded on my Latin American roots which stem from a warm and vivid culture.

The pop-up gallery in Downtown San Francisco, open from October 20th through November 18th, celebrates the end of the series and is the first time the whole body of work is presented together and available to collect.

The address of the pop-up is 833 Market St., 4th floor, San Francisco, CA 94103, and we are open Monday through Saturday, 11am-6pm.

Website (including a video of Gabriela speaking about the series): www.gabrielagil.com

See Press Release below:

Is working through a gallery the only path for artists?

Gabriela Gil doesn’t think so.

[San Francisco, CA, October 24, 2018] After three years in the making, Latin American artist based in San Francisco, Gabriela Gil, presents a series of paintings that explore inner strength and grit in a 5,000 sq. ft. pop-up gallery in downtown San Francisco. With a background working with tech start-ups in the area, the artist believes there is room to approach art with Silicon Valley’s spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation.

Opened last weekend, the Siamese gallery showcases large-scale paintings of Siamese fighting fish made from multiple layers of acrylic and metal thumbtacks. The color-filled space with large canvases hanging from the ceiling serves as an example of an alternative approach for artists to share their work and build their career. Gabriela believes that artists should feel empowered to own both the creative decisions of their work and how they present it to the world. According to the 29-year old artist, the key is to focus on high-quality work, learn the business aspects of the art industry through mentors and self-education, collaboration, and most importantly, have the courage of betting on yourself.

The pop-up marks the end of the series, and is the first time after three years that the whole body of work is presented together and available to collect. On view through November 18^th, Gabriela intends to use this opportunity to engage with artists, art-lovers and collectors alike in dialogue about what it means to be an artist in this time and age, as well as how we can use technology to empower artists, and infuse the art industry with positive evolution.

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Gabriela Gil is a visual artist based in San Francisco, CA. Her large-scale paintings explore her personal journey of being born in Honduras, growing up throughout Latin America, and immigrating to the United States ten years ago. I believe art has the power to make the world a better place by enriching the lives of those who live with it, by collaborating on initiatives that inspire, and by giving back to the community.