" You cannot paint black on black or white on white, everyone needs one another in order to be seen"
(M. Dibango)
New Zealand born artist, Gabrielle Pool has been exhibiting since 1993.
Her paintings and mixed media works have been exhibited in solo and group shows in New Zealand, Australia, Japan, China, the U.S., the U.K., Greece and the Bahamas.
Partly schooled in Japan, her early inspiration from her teacher, Mori Sensei has led to a powerful oriental influence, with her first solo show in Chiba-Ken at the age of 16.
In 2004 Gabrielle began to record several of the world's vanishing tribes - the Hamer Tribe in Ethiopia, the Maasai of Kenya, and more recently, the Indigenous women artists of Utopia in Australia's Northern Territory. Gabrielle immersed herself in tribal life, often used sacred body paint pigments in her work.
"My painting has always been driven by a desire to preserve and record the history of ancient people and their environments, in a world that seems to be trying its very best to eradicate them and 'civilise' them."
The following year, Gabrielle was invited by Nelson Mandela to travel to Africa to collaborate in the production of the Unity Series, alongside 20 other leading international artists. The works depicted the five phases of Mandela's life, culminating in his vision for the future, launched in Switzerland.
Gabrielle was the subject of an hour-long TVNZ documentary in 2007 about her career as an artist, while National Geographic Australia posted a feature article about her challenging views as an explorer."
In 2020 Gabrielle Pool founded PEEK Gallery in Byron Bay. The gallery highlights artwork by Gabrielle alongside that of represented artists and select feature artists. PEEK also hosts a dynamic program of exhibitions drawn from both established artists and emerging talent, inviting art collectors and the culturally curious to discover the wealth of talent in our local region and beyond.