Artist Statement“…Colorful forms, lines, women figures and textures are combined to create art pieces that express a constant search for freedom. The paintings, video animations and music transport the viewer/listener to spaces where the skies and times are endless. The artist invites him/her to “become one with nature, the Universe and the Light".
Gabriela questions the systems and traditional myths and is interested in finding the Divine without necessarily practicing the rituals stated by any specific doctrine. She also defies the traditional roles of women in society, writing her own story -- a new story -- whereby the women in her paintings travel alone and unwrapped from traditional roles..." |
About the artist
Author of "Gema, the Curious Butterfly", Gabriela Esquivel is a costarrican artist and author currently living in South Florida.
She has lived in Germany, Switzerland, United States and Puerto Rico. Her work has been featured in the 2015th Florence Biennale Catalogue in Italy, Go Riverwalk Magazine in Fort Lauderdale, Around Town News in Fort Lauderdale, Midtown Miami Magazine in South Florida, and in main journals in Puerto Rico. Gabriela has participated in notable group exhibitions including the 2015th Florence Biennale in Italy and Art Fort Lauderdale Fair in Fort Lauderdale. She exhibited with ArtBox.Gallery from Zurich, Switzerland and Contemporary Art Projects from Fort Lauderdale during Art Basel Miami. She has also worked together with Business for the Arts of Broward and participated in their Art & Soul Annual exhibition at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Fort Lauderdale. Gabriela had her solo show “Soul and Mysticism” at Artserve in August 2018. She presented her solo show “Gardens of Freedom” at 33rd St. Wine Bar where she combined art+music, exhibiting paintings and performing songs of her authorship. She is part of the Open Canvas Project”, a murals project organized by ArtServe in Fort Lauderdale; she is also part of “Genii Loci”, a road-tatoo/street mural on Rosemary Avenue in West Palm Beach. In Puerto Rico, she was part of “La Campechada” event, organized by the Puertorrican Art Museum; and “Casa de los Contrafuertes” Art Project. She is also interested in bringing together Art and Philanthropy. In 2017 she was one of the artists of the Redesign Bash event organized by Salvation Army of Broward County at the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale. She is a committee member of Salvation Army of Broward and of the Neighbors Volunteer Office from the City of Fort Lauderdale. She is the founder of “Butterflies for Puerto Rico”, an artistic-musical-social project that has partnered with international musicians and organizations to help Puerto Rico after hurricane Maria. In May 2019, she published her first children's book Gema, the Curious Butterfly and release her first single Gema. Both pieces are part of the multimedia project Gema, the Curious Butterfly, award winning project that combines literature, visual arts and music. Gabriela earned her BFA in Sculpture from the School of Fine Arts of Puerto Rico and her BA in Humanistic Studies with emphasis in Music from the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico. When she is not painting, Gabriela studies the piano and composes her own music. The artist lives and works in South Florida, USA. |
EDUCATION
2011- 2015 B.A. in Humanistic Studies, minor in Music, Interamerican University of Puerto Rico
2005-2011 B.A. in Sculpture, minor in Motion Pictures and Fashion Design, School of Fine Arts of
Puerto Rico
2000-2004 Studies in Business Administration and Music, University of Costa Rica
1999 Painting and Voice lessons, Migros Klubschule, Switzerland
1999 Goethe Institute, Germany
INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE EXHIBITIONS
2018 “Soul and Mysticism”, Solo Show at Artserve, Fort Lauderdale, FL
2018 “Garden of Freedom Exhibition”, 33rd St Wine Bar, Fort Lauderdale, FL
2018 Botello Gallery, Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
2018 Art and Soul, Business for the Arts of Broward, Double Tree by Hilton, Fort Lauderdale
2018 Pop up Exhibition, The Frank Contemporaries, Pembroke Pines, Florida
2018 Art Fort Lauderdale Fair, Florida
2018 The Studio in the Living Room, W Hotel, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
2018 Las Olas Art Fair, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
2017 Galeria Rancho Santana, Tola/Rivas, Nicaragua
2017 Painting exhibition, “Imagining the Sublime”, Village Design Art Gallery, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
2017 Village Design Art Gallery, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
2017 Botello Gallery, Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
2016 ArtBox.Gallery, Art Basel, Miami, Florida
2016 Galeria Rancho Santana, Tola/Rivas, Nicaragua
2016 Botello Gallery, Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
2015 Contemporary Art Projects, Art Basel, Miami, Florida
2015 Florence Biennale, Florence, Italy
2014 Botello Gallery, Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
2014 Painting exhibition, “From the Mystical to the Abstract”, Interamerican University of Puerto Rico
2011 “Spiritual Cell Performance”, National Gallery, Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
2009 “Thanatos and Narciso”, Performance with Ballet Concierto of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico
2004-2003 Painting exhibition, Lafise Bank, San José, Costa Rica.
MUSEUMS AND PUBLIC ART PROJECTS
2018 “Read-A-Thon, LA Lee YMCA Family Center”, Neighbor Volunteer Office, City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida
2018 “The Tarpon’s Dance”, Little Library Project at Hardy Park, City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida
2018 “Genii Loci”, Artist Assistant of 1.2 mile long “road tattoo”, street mural at Rosemary Av.
Palm Beach, Florida
2018 “Butterflies for Puerto Rico”, online international musical-artistic-social project, Puerto Rico - Florida
2017 “Open Canvas Project”, Murals in Andrews Av. Fort Lauderdale, Florida
2015 “La Campechada dedicated to Rafael Ríos Rey”, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
2014 “La Campechada dedicated to Myrna Báez”, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, Old San Juan,
Puerto Rico
2013 “La Campechada dedicated to Rafael Tufiño” , Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, Old San Juan,
Puerto Rico
LITERATURE AND REVIEWS
DEC, 2017 Midtown Miami Magazine, “The sublime state of painter Gabriela Esquivel”, Miami, Florida
SEPT, 2017 Go Riverwalk Magazine, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
DEC, 2015 Contemporary Art Projects USA Catalogue, Spectrum, Miami
NOV, 2015 “Artistas en Florencia”, Periódico Índice, Puerto Rico
NOV, 2015 “Arte, conciencia y alegría en la Campechada 2015, UPR-Dialogo, Universidad de Puerto Rico
NOV, 2015 “Reconocen su trabajo artístico”, El Nuevo Día, Flash y Cultura, Puerto Rico
OCT, 2015 Florence Biennale Catalogue, Italy
ENE, 2014 “Las Zonas Limítrofes y espirituales en la pintura de Gabriela Esquivel”,Puerto Rico Art News
SEP, 2013 Galenus Magazine, Puerto Rico
JUL, 2009 El Nuevo Día, Puerto Rico
FEB, 2005 Imagen, San José Costa Rica
PERMANENT COLLECTIONS
Fort Lauderdale Private Collection, USA
Costarrican Private Collections, Costa Rica
New Jersey Private Collection, USA
California Private Collection, USA
Puertorrican Private Collections, Puerto Rico
W Hotel Paintings Collection – Fort Lauderdale, USA
Puertorrican Painting Collection” Interamerican University of Puerto Rico
Latin American Art Collection, Galenus Magazine, Puerto Rico
2011- 2015 B.A. in Humanistic Studies, minor in Music, Interamerican University of Puerto Rico
2005-2011 B.A. in Sculpture, minor in Motion Pictures and Fashion Design, School of Fine Arts of
Puerto Rico
2000-2004 Studies in Business Administration and Music, University of Costa Rica
1999 Painting and Voice lessons, Migros Klubschule, Switzerland
1999 Goethe Institute, Germany
INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE EXHIBITIONS
2018 “Soul and Mysticism”, Solo Show at Artserve, Fort Lauderdale, FL
2018 “Garden of Freedom Exhibition”, 33rd St Wine Bar, Fort Lauderdale, FL
2018 Botello Gallery, Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
2018 Art and Soul, Business for the Arts of Broward, Double Tree by Hilton, Fort Lauderdale
2018 Pop up Exhibition, The Frank Contemporaries, Pembroke Pines, Florida
2018 Art Fort Lauderdale Fair, Florida
2018 The Studio in the Living Room, W Hotel, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
2018 Las Olas Art Fair, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
2017 Galeria Rancho Santana, Tola/Rivas, Nicaragua
2017 Painting exhibition, “Imagining the Sublime”, Village Design Art Gallery, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
2017 Village Design Art Gallery, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
2017 Botello Gallery, Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
2016 ArtBox.Gallery, Art Basel, Miami, Florida
2016 Galeria Rancho Santana, Tola/Rivas, Nicaragua
2016 Botello Gallery, Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
2015 Contemporary Art Projects, Art Basel, Miami, Florida
2015 Florence Biennale, Florence, Italy
2014 Botello Gallery, Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
2014 Painting exhibition, “From the Mystical to the Abstract”, Interamerican University of Puerto Rico
2011 “Spiritual Cell Performance”, National Gallery, Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
2009 “Thanatos and Narciso”, Performance with Ballet Concierto of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico
2004-2003 Painting exhibition, Lafise Bank, San José, Costa Rica.
MUSEUMS AND PUBLIC ART PROJECTS
2018 “Read-A-Thon, LA Lee YMCA Family Center”, Neighbor Volunteer Office, City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida
2018 “The Tarpon’s Dance”, Little Library Project at Hardy Park, City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida
2018 “Genii Loci”, Artist Assistant of 1.2 mile long “road tattoo”, street mural at Rosemary Av.
Palm Beach, Florida
2018 “Butterflies for Puerto Rico”, online international musical-artistic-social project, Puerto Rico - Florida
2017 “Open Canvas Project”, Murals in Andrews Av. Fort Lauderdale, Florida
2015 “La Campechada dedicated to Rafael Ríos Rey”, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
2014 “La Campechada dedicated to Myrna Báez”, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, Old San Juan,
Puerto Rico
2013 “La Campechada dedicated to Rafael Tufiño” , Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, Old San Juan,
Puerto Rico
LITERATURE AND REVIEWS
DEC, 2017 Midtown Miami Magazine, “The sublime state of painter Gabriela Esquivel”, Miami, Florida
SEPT, 2017 Go Riverwalk Magazine, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
DEC, 2015 Contemporary Art Projects USA Catalogue, Spectrum, Miami
NOV, 2015 “Artistas en Florencia”, Periódico Índice, Puerto Rico
NOV, 2015 “Arte, conciencia y alegría en la Campechada 2015, UPR-Dialogo, Universidad de Puerto Rico
NOV, 2015 “Reconocen su trabajo artístico”, El Nuevo Día, Flash y Cultura, Puerto Rico
OCT, 2015 Florence Biennale Catalogue, Italy
ENE, 2014 “Las Zonas Limítrofes y espirituales en la pintura de Gabriela Esquivel”,Puerto Rico Art News
SEP, 2013 Galenus Magazine, Puerto Rico
JUL, 2009 El Nuevo Día, Puerto Rico
FEB, 2005 Imagen, San José Costa Rica
PERMANENT COLLECTIONS
Fort Lauderdale Private Collection, USA
Costarrican Private Collections, Costa Rica
New Jersey Private Collection, USA
California Private Collection, USA
Puertorrican Private Collections, Puerto Rico
W Hotel Paintings Collection – Fort Lauderdale, USA
Puertorrican Painting Collection” Interamerican University of Puerto Rico
Latin American Art Collection, Galenus Magazine, Puerto Rico