Artistic Direction: How Gab Bois Is Changing The Art World

(Image courtesy of Gab Bois.)

In every generation, artists try to change how the public and the art world view their craft. This iconoclastic approach paved the way for Leonardo Da Vinci, Pablo Picasso, and Gab Bois to change the very definition of art. Gab Bois is a Canadian multidisciplinary artist who "blurs the line between the real and the simulated.". I had the chance to speak with Bois to learn more about art.

(Image courtesy of Gab Bois. Image depicts Gab Bois.)

1. What does art mean to you?

To me, art is born from emotion and is what remains of an artist after their death. I also really resonate with Georgia O'Keeffe's definition of art: Filling a space in a beautiful way.

(Image courtesy of Gab Bois.)

2. How do you combine different art mediums to create your works?

I like to have my foot in many doors at once - that goes for the themes present in my work as much as the mediums. Photography is the medium I use to immortalize the final piece, but the photo's subject is a combination of various other mediums. I'm happy you asked this question because I often say I'm a photographer when I get asked what I do, but it doesn't feel like a very accurate answer, all things considered.

(Image courtesy of Gab Bois.)

3. How do you incorporate your mission and vision into your pieces?

I consider a big part of my vision to be an extension of who I was and what I enjoyed during childhood. I was always a really crafty kid, not one for sports or science experiments, but I could spend hours making flower soups and dirt cakes, hotels for the neighborhood stray cats, or grass necklaces. This childlike wonder is something I try my hardest to keep in my process and work.

(Image courtesy of Gab Bois.)

4. What advice would you give to students and young professionals who want to enter this field?

Surround yourself with other creatives and people who know about the industry that interests you so you can bounce ideas off each other and get a second opinion on the administrative side of art. Make sure you read and fully understand the contracts you're signing. Tell your own story in your work.

(Image courtesy of Gab Bois.)

5. What is the future of your work? I would like to make more long-lasting sculptural pieces. Many of the pieces I work on are made with either food or other organic materials, so that usually means I have to take them apart after being photographed. I would also like to make more pieces that can be experienced with different senses--not only seen but also worn, touched, heard, smelled, etc.

(Image courtesy of Gab Bois.)