A material which is as light and as delicate as a thread, takes on a new dimension in the hands of the Mexico born, Texas based artist Gabriel Dawe. Handled incredibly gently, his site specific installations full of color named PLEXUS, which as he explains, represents the body’s network of nerves or blood vessels pose questions and invite viewers to examine and reflect upon Mexico’s machismo culture.

The PLEXUS installations almost seize the spaces they inhabit like a spider web. They create wonderful dream-like visuals that mesmerize the viewers while they navigate their way around them and experience the different views that they offer. The light that penetrates the space also plays an important role as it offers an additional perspective as the semi-transparent installations come to life.

Each installation, depending on its size, takes hours to be installed. They are painstakingly put together where each piece of thread creates a curve like form that intensifies the visual excellence of each piece. Together with the colours and the superb use of the space, each installation conveys a sincere sense of peacefulness. When seen from different angles, the perfectly stretched threads seem almost to defy gravity and travel into the space.

When an installation is dismantled, Gabriel Dawe collects all the threads that have been used and creates his pieces that he calls ‘Relics’ which, as he explains, give a second life to the work of art, 'from the ethereal to the dense'.

The making of Plexus No.11 for the National Centre for Craft & Design in Sleaford, UK
video © Electric Egg

His ‘PAIN’ and ‘Intolerance’ series touch upon the issue of pain and how unavoidable it is in our lives. Dawe uses elements made out of deconstructed clothing and invites the viewer to relate and accept pain as a force that human beings endure, coming out stronger at the other end of the experience. The fact that he uses familiar, everyday pieces from clothing such as sleeves and collars, as well as pants and boots, further invites the viewer to relate with the feeling of pain and its effect.

Gabriel Dawe’s work is gentle, peaceful and absorbing. It strongly relates to the human presence and conceptualizes universal themes thereby offering a fresh look on how should they be addressed and confronted.