GABRIEL ISAK
Artist Statement
Gabriel Isak’s art entails surreal and melancholic scenes where he invites the viewer to interact with the inner world of solitary figures that symbolize our own unconscious states. He uses photography as a medium to draw and paint surreal images, minimal and graphic in its aesthetic, rich in symbolism and emotion, focusing on themes inspired by human psychology, dreams and romanticism, as well as his own experiences, especially the years he went through depression. Isak’s work is a serene and melancholic meditation that stills the chaos of life and transforms into an introspective journey that questions the depths of existence. The objective of Gabriel Isak’s art is to shine a light on the experiences of being and the states of mind those brings along. His subjects are anonymous with the slightest glimmerings of consciousness, imprisoned in monochromatic settings, so the viewer can envision oneself as the subject, reflecting back on one’s own experiences and journey in life.
Biography
Gabriel Isak was born in 1990 in Huskvarna, Sweden. In 2016, he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Photography at Academy of Art University in San Francisco, California.
Isak has exhibited his work at solo exhibitions at The Cannery Gallery, San Francisco, California, Galerie deBernardo in Stockholm, Sweden and Galerie XII in Shanghai, Paris to name a few. His works have also been included in various important exhibitions including “Acclimatize” at Museum of Modern Art, Stockholm, Sweden, “Culture Pop” at M Contemporary, Sydney, Australia and “Camera Obscura” at Last Rites Gallery in New York, USA. Isak lives and works in Stockholm, Sweden, from where he travels all around the world for personal and commissioned projects.
Collections by GABRIEL
AWARDS AND ACCOLADES
SELECT AWARDS
2020
Bronze Award - Fine Art Conceptual, ND Awards
2019
Winner, Out from the Mist Competition (Photographic Representations of Mental Health)
Gold medalist, Trierenberg Super Circuit International Photography Awards
2018
1st Place Winner, Rangefinder Fine Art Photography Awards
Winner, PDN The Look
Gold Winner, PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris
1st Place Winner, Rangefinder the Portrait
Gold Award, San Francisco Bay International Photo Show
Winner, PDN Emerging Photographer
Honorable Mention, Photographers Forum
2017
Shortlist, London International Creative Competition
2016
1st Place Single Image Award, Academy of Art Annual Spring Show
Honorable Mention, PRZM Dream Big Contest
2015
2nd Place - Fine Art: Conceptual, International Photographer of the Year
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2023
Gabriel Isak, Galerie 12, Los Angeles, March-June
2022
Spectrum, Hunter Museum of American Art, November
2021
Gabriel Isak, Galerie 12, Shanghai, September-November
2020
Into the Blue, Gallery deBernardo, Stockholm, February - March
Selection from the Roster, Soren Christensen Gallery, February
2019
Off Color & Form, Sorensen Christensen Gallery, December
Generating Perspective, .M Contemporary, Sydney, 12-30 November
Out from the Mist, Arts Centre Melbourne, October
Unfuck our Rainforests, 71aLondon Gallery, London, 30 October
Out from the Mist, Frank Moran Gallery, Brisbane, October
International Photo Expo, ImageNation, Voies Off, Arles, July
2018
International Photo Expo, ImageNation, Galerie Joseph Saint Martin, Paris, November
"Culture Pop", .M Contemporary, Sydney, October
Stockholm Affordable Art Fair, Momentum Fine Art Gallery, October
Fujifilm Wondershop, New York, September
San Francisco Bay International Photo Show, ACCI Gallery, September
.M Contemporary, Sydney, May-Oct
Month of Photography, Los Angeles, April
2017
Last Rites Gallery, New York, January-February
2016
Museum of Modern Art, Stockholm, October-December
Jackson Place, San Francisco, October-December
The Cannery Gallery, San Francisco, September-October
Academy of Art Annual Spring Show, San Francisco, May-June
SOMArts Cultural Center, San Francisco, April
RAW Artists, San Francisco, January
Momentum Fine Art Gallery, Miami
2015
Catch Gallery, Paris
Selected Press
Juxtapoz
Hasselblad
VICE
Adobe
Kinfolk
Medium Format Magazine
Hi Fructose Magazine
Marie Claire Russia
ELLE Sweden
ELLE Vietnamn
World Photography Organization
PetaPixel
Scandinavia Standard
Fstoppers
Plastik Magazine
My Modern Met
Aesthetica Magazine
Architectural Digest Mexico
Courrier International
Fisheye Magazine
SLR Lounge
Collater.al
Life Framer
Format Magazine
Hunger Magazine
PDN
Rangefinder
Communications Arts
Trendland
Ignant
Reykjavik Boulevard
Fubiz
The Mighty
Yatzer
Dodho Magazine
Kaltblut Magazine
Contributor Magazine
Kamera & Bild
Selected clients:
Sony Music Entertainment
Adobe
IKEA
Klarna
Artpress
Relatable
Nothing More Music
Philosophie Magazine
Stutterheim
Seven Eleven Music Group
Vancouver Sleep Clinic Music
Education
BFA, Photography - Academy of Art University, 2016