Gabriela Hirt is a self-taught German-Canadian visual artist who came to the West Coast of British Columbia twenty years ago as a professional travel journalist and writer. Always inspired to create, Gabriela discovered her true calling when she first picked up a paint brush while living on a sailboat in the Mediterranean for a year in 2014.
Gabriela's desire to share her experiences, confusion, and wisdom in an intuitive way sparks a process of childlike experimentation. She seeks the surprise that awaits when you let go of the outcome. Her work is mostly abstract or figurative abstract, sometimes whimsical and playful, sometimes mysterious or pensive - depending on the day.
Gabriela works primarily in acrylic, mixed media, and collage on paper, cradleboard, and canvas. She draws inspiration from everything that touches her - the natural world, a stranger's particular posture or maybe a piece of music or poetry. In her present work, she is interested in observing the energy of differing emotions, and exploring their impact through gestural moves with the paintbrush or other tools.
She lives on Vancouver Island, Canada, with her partner, two teenagers, and her puppy Ella.
MEMBERSHIPS
Gage Gallery Arts Collective, Victoria
Federation of Canadian Artists, Vancouver, Active Member
SHOWS
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Group Show "Out of the Silence", The Gage Gallery, Victoria, BC
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Window Pop Up Solo-Installation "8 minutes and 46 seconds" in response to the police murder of George Floyd trying to grapple with racism in our world, The Gage Gallery, Victoria
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Challenge Crisis with Creativity - organizer of 12-weeks community online art project to help people cope with COVID-19
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Challenge Crisis with Creativity - The Exhibition at The Gage Gallery, June 23-27, 2020 curator, organizer and participant
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"Looking In - Looking Out" Juried Online Exhibition, April 21-May 31, 2020, Federation of Canadian Artists, Victoria Chapter
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"Abstracted", March 3-15, 2020, Federation Gallery, Vancouver
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CLWAC 123rd Annual Open Exhibition of Women's Art, The National Arts Club, New York City
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2020 Active Member Exhibition, Federation Gallery, Vancouver
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Art Gallery of Greater Victoria: Winter Small Works Show & Sale (2019), Summer Small Works Show & Sale (2020)
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Group Show "Solstice Dreams - The Poetry of Winter", The Gage Gallery, Victoria, BC
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Contemporary Art Gallery Online's 2019 All Planet Earth Art Competition and Exhibition
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The Sidney Fine Art Show, Sidney, BC (2018, 2019)
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The Sooke Fine Arts Show, Sooke, BC
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The TD Gallery Paint-In, Victoria, BC
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SPAC Arts Exhibition, Sidney, BC
"
Broken pieces belong to my work. They are coming to the surface, wanting to be looked at with curiosity. My desire is to connect. By tying together the many layers of marks on a canvas, by gluing ripped up paintings into a colourful flower or by re-arranging broken tiles, I tell a new story. This reminds us to embrace the rift, and find ways to link up even the most antagonist elements to a surprising new whole.
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