ABOUT GABRIEL PAIVA

     Gabriel Paiva is a contemporary artist and student living and working in the San Francisco Bay area. He uses alternative and historic photographic processes to show the world in unseen ways. He connects with the past, creating a sense of existence and permanence when the world is quickly changing around us. 

 

     I explore a primal fear we all share—being alone. Growing up, I feared abandonment, and I find myself confronting that fear through my work. I place myself in the isolating situations I dread, being alone. It's in these moments that I produce my best, most fulfilling work. Whether driving for hours with only my camera, or enduring harsh conditions that deter most, I find the solitude I seek. A younger version of myself would be terrified in the thick fog and torrential downpour, with thunder in the distance and no signs of human life. But now, my practice pulls me toward it. There's a message I need to capture and share that resides in my own solitude.  

 

     Growing up in a world increasingly dominated by pixels inspired me to remind people of what is real. I belong to the first generation raised with the internet and because of this I feel disconnected from the world around me. I want to cut through that virtual barrier and show people the tangible, physical world that surrounds us.