ARTIST STATEMENT
INDEX
(A) -ABOUT ME-
01••WHO IS GABRIEL GRELA MESA?
02••WHAT HAVE I DONE?
03••WHAT IS MY VISION?
04••WHAT IS MY MISSION?
(B) -ABOUT MY WORK/ACTIONS-
01••WHAT DRIVES ME TO DO WHAT I DO AND HOW DO I CARRY ON THESE OBJECTIVES?
02••WHAT MATERIALS AND/OR MEANS DO I USE?
03••WHAT TYPE OF CULTURE, THEME OR PROBLEM APPEARS?
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(A) -ABOUT ME-
01••WHO IS GABRIEL GRELA MESA?
Gabriel Grela Mesa is a multifaceted Uruguayan-American artist who develops activities in the areas of Visual Arts, Painting, Acting/Production and Philanthropy.
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02••WHAT HAVE I DONE?
As a "Visual Artist" I made my professional debut in 2015 in Uruguay (country of origin) where I made my first exhibition at the Embassy of the United States of America. Later, thanks to the fact that I linked up with several artistic groups in Colombia and Miami, I had the opportunity to exhibit my work in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Mexico, Italy, the United States and Togo.
In the area of "Acting and Production" I took my first steps in 2013 in the cinematographic sector of my hometown (Montevideo). There I began to participate in advertising projects, short films and national and international film productions. This allowed me to share the film set with prominent members of the national and international scene.
In 2018 I joined a Swedish film production company called "Dorobantu Film & Television" where I currently participate as an actor and co-producer in Swedish film projects.
As a "Philanthropist" I develop non-profit projects independently and/or in collaboration with other institutions. These actions seek to recognize the deficiencies of the environment to provide sustainable tools.
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03••WHAT IS MY VISION?
As a "Visual Artist" I see art on the one hand under the logic of "Politics/Ideology" This means that I recognize art as a vehicle through which ideas and values are manifested, both of a group, of a society and / or a historical period.
On the other hand, I see art under the logic of “Cultural Promotion”. This means that art is a determining factor in the construction of national identity.
Secondly, I see art under the "Logic of Profitability" this means that art is an activity that is used to produce economic gains and generate jobs.
My vision from the “Philanthropy” area is: As an active individual in civil society, I constantly develop proposals focused on responding to the challenges that the current world demands of us, in favor of human beings without distinction of race, sex or philosophical orientation. . From my point of view, it is essential and "mandatory" to propose initiatives focused on rescuing and/or creating the deteriorated resources of our environment.
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04••WHAT IS MY MISSION?
As a Visual Artist, raise your voice.
As an Entrepreneur, generate opportunities.
As a Philanthropist, let everyone have the same first two chances.
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(B) -ABOUT MY WORK/ACTIONS-
01••WHAT DRIVES ME TO DO WHAT I DO AND HOW DO I CARRY ON THESE OBJECTIVES?
As a "Visual Artist" I avoid adjusting to the formulas already applied, that's why I constantly look for new challenges that challenge me and force me to leave my comfort zone. Investigate different expressive channels that help me better convey what I seek to share.
After years of exploring different expressive disciplines and interacting with different artists, thinkers and cultures, I was able to find an artistic proposal with which I identify and represent myself.
In the area of "Acting and Production" I seek to generate alliances that allow me to develop commercially profitable products.
In the area of "Philanthropy" having had the opportunity to live and work abroad for 5 years in different countries, gave me the opportunity to directly engage with multiple realities, this helped me to vividly understand the challenges faced by different communities day to day.
On more than one occasion I have faced situations in which the lack of resources made it difficult to carry out activities, so this situation led me to reflect on the use of recyclable "Waste" as raw material. Thanks to this I have been able to build projects from the total lack of resources. These experiences offered me unique opportunities and challenges, this prompted me to create a proposal called ALE.GRE (HAPPY in Spanish).
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02••WHAT MATERIALS AND/OR MEANS DO I USE?
As a "Visual Artist" I use organic materials to reinforce the magical concept that I seek to give to the works, such as stones, bones, feathers, fabrics, saliva, semen, sweat and rituals.
In the area of "Acting and Production" I work daily on the development of a technical and physical personal stamp that identifies and differentiates me.
In the “Philanthropy” area, the raw material comes from the context itself (recyclable materials) and from the knowledge and experience of its people.
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03••WHAT TYPE OF CULTURE, THEME OR PROBLEM APPEARS?
As a "Visual Artist" my personal interests are -Art, Ritual Practices and Society- this drives me to develop proposals related to race, injustice, marginalization, violence and colonialism (although not exclusively)
In the area of "Acting and Production" N/A
In the area of "Philanthropy" based on the needs of the context itself, activities are built that link at least one of the following three areas 3 - Climate Change, Education, Equal Opportunities.