Textile artist crafts massive installations with cascades of colors

Photos by Hannah Hofmann

Mixed media and installation artist Gabriel Dawe has art on a string.

Dawe’s “Plexus no. 12” installation opened Friday at The Juanita and Ralph Harvey School of Visual Arts.

It simply takes wood, string, a bit of imagination and lots of patience to create these installations of Dawe’s work to come to life.

His artwork uses long strings that dazzle with color to portray a sense of wonder.

Dawe said he hopes this translates to students.

“People are usually transported into this spontaneous childhood reaction (when they see the artwork),” Dawe said. “It’s really satisfying. I think these installations are a way to bring more joy into the world. That is one of the key aspects of the installations.”

The former graphic designer was born and raised in Mexico City and his Central American roots have greatly influenced his mesmerizing, large-scale, three-dimensional artwork.

“I grew up in a house where my parents collected fine handcrafts,” Dawe said. “They tended to be really colorful, rich colors and I think that’s one of the things that really influenced me.”

But it was the old-fashioned Mexican gender roles that almost kept Dawe from pursuing his passion in art.

“Growing up in Mexico City, there is a lot of macho culture,” Dawe said. “As a boy you aren’t supposed to do certain things and girls should stay in the kitchen. That really marked me. Now I try and challenge the idea of gender roles.”

At a young age, he was fascinated with embroidery. This is still where a part of his current works stem from.

“As a child I wasn’t allowed to (do embroidery) because it was a girl’s thing,” Dawe said. “So I started to do embroidery as an adult to challenge those traditional gender roles that limit us.”

In 1994, Dawe experienced life outside of Mexico on his own when he studied abroad in Nottingham, UK.

It wasn’t until his late 20s when he moved to Canada that Dawe said he became an artist.

“I had a desire to explore and live abroad,” Dawe said. “Being on my own, in a different country, I had the freedom to question what I was doing and the pursue what I really wanted to do.”

After gaining dual citizenship, Dawe relocated to Texas where he gained an MFA in arts and technology at the University of Texas at Dallas.

Dawe’s work is shown around the world, from Houston to Toronto to Barcelona.

The artist admits to having some obssessive traits, saying they can be frustrating at times.

“I was drawn (to art) because of the process,” Dawe said. “It is very slow and painstakingly obssessive in a way.”

“Plexus no. 12” takes fiber art to the next level and will run until Feb. 3.