Quick Facts
Biography
Gabriel Dawe (born 1973) is a Mexican-born artist living in Dallas, Texas whose work is based on investigations of the visible spectrum of light. He has gained renown for his large-scale Plexus series of installations of sewing thread, though he also creates works on paper as well as other media. His work has been exhibited in the US, Canada, Belgium, Denmark, and the UK.
Background
Originally from Mexico City, Dawe initially trained as a graphic designer, but during his studies at the University of Texas at Dallas, he began to investigate the connection between fashion and architecture. His use of materials related to textiles stems from a childhood frustration of not being allowed by his grandmother to learn traditional needlework because of societal expectations for boys.
Education
He received his bachelor's degree in Graphic Design from Universidad de las Américas, Puebla, Mexico and his MFA at the University of Texas at Dallas, where he was an artist in residence at CentralTrak for the final two years of his degree.
Plexus Series
Named for the network of blood vessels or nerves that run throughout the body and form connections, Dawe's Plexus series are large-scale networks of sewing thread that are investigations of the visible spectrum of light. They are often site-specific, temporary commissions that the artist transforms into compacted displays of thread he calls relics when the exhibitions are over.
Most notably, the artist's work was part of the reopening of the Renwick Gallery in the exhibition Wonder. He has also installed Plexus works at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Brigham Young University, and the Denver Art Museum, among others.
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2016
Plexus No. 34 : Amon Carter Museum of American Art : Fort Worth, TX
Plexus c18 : San Antonio International Airport : San Antonio, TX
2015
Plexus a1 : Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum : Washington, D.C.
2014
Plexus No. 29 : Brigham Young University Museum of Art : Provo, UT
Requiem for a Fallen Structure : Conduit Gallery : Dallas, TX
Plexus No. 28 : Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art : Virginia Beach, VA
Plexus No. 26 : Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum : San Antonio, TX
Plexus No. 25 : Contemporary Art Museum, Raleigh : Raleigh, NC
2013
Plexus No. 23 .1 : Museum Rijswijk : Rijswijk, Netherlands
Threading Light : Zadok Gallery : Miami, FL
Light Paradox : Gutstein Gallery : Savannah College of Art and Design : Savannah, GA
2012
Blinding Pain : Conduit Gallery : Dallas, TX
Plexus No. 15 : LSU Museum of Art : Baton Rouge, LA
The Density of Light : Galerie Lot 10 : Brussels, Belgium
Plexus No. 12 : The Juanita Harvey Art Gallery, MWSU : Wichita Falls, TX
2011
Plexus No. 9 : Peel Gallery : Houston, TX
Plexus No. 8 : The Luminary Arts Center : St. Louis, MO
2010
Plexus No. 4 : Dallas Contemporary : Annex North Gallery : Dallas, TX
Plexus No. 3 : Guerrilla Arts : Dallas, TX
Plexus No. 2, Convergence : Conduit Gallery : Project Room : Dallas, TX
2007
Luz Gallery : Montreal, Canada
2004
Luz Gallery : Montreal, Canada
2002
The Light Within The Shadow : Rad’a Gallery : Montreal, Canada