GAB is a mixed media artist from New York. Themes of documentation, adornment, maximalism, and preservation are just some of the roots in her work. The combination of autobiography and false reality result in elaborate imagery.
She always says she lives in the “space between” two different tethers. Works have titles such as “hold me accountable, hold me” , “self worth, self worship”, and “I want you to come/you can come if you want” to express what it is like to live a life of only extremes. Within these broader themes come “micro-themes”, such as sobriety, restriction, connection, and more.
Moody sat down with the artist to talk all things healing, chaos, and catharsis.
JB: How have your past experiences shown up in your art?
GAB: My work is self-documenting. It definitely communicates universal themes that others can relate to but it’s mainly for me, as a form of catharsis. I really believe that my healing is my responsibility, and making art is how I do that.
Each piece is a story from my life and it’s a very introspective process. My experiences growing up in New York, navigating intimacy and power, exploring sobriety. Some of my art has just been meditative, without having to really mean anything, the act of creating it provided me relief. Even the pieces I never show, I keep because the process itself was important.
Kindred Spirits (2025) Watercolor, pen, pencil on wood panel 24x32 inch
GAB: Yes, lots. Interlocking limbs, hands, feet, bodies represent human connection and how complicated that is. I have a very addictive personality, I get very addicted to people. Addicted to love. Addicted to codependency, addicted to not feeling lonely. As we get older, the world becomes designed less and less for single people. It becomes increasingly harder to exist on your own despite the fact that we come into this world, and leave it, alone.
Other symbols that repeat are animals, body parts, and patterns that often become metaphors for relationships, love, and codependency. I would include a lot of fish in my work to represent the Pisces men that were circulating in my life, very emotional men that take up a lot of real estate.
JB: You’ve also had experience as a dominatrix. What’s the biggest lesson you learned from that time?
GAB: On the empowering side, it gave me control, power, and the ability to see through people. The power of knowing what is behind the veil. There is very little that surprises me anymore in life.
I was sexualized at a very young age, which I feel is a relatable experience for a lot of other girls. I felt vindicated by the power I reclaimed in being compensated simply for how angry I already was.
On the sadder side, it makes regular romantic connection, intimacy, and trust really complicated. Even the most highly regarded people often aren’t who they present themselves to be. It left me with a kind of disillusionment about relationships and general trust. But sometimes you just have to jump into relationships knowing what the risk is, that you might never actually know who someone is. There can be beauty in that; co-surviving with people.
JB: What made you step away from that world?
GAB: I would use my role as an outlet for all of my anger at men; I started to see red, say whatever I wanted, it was vindicating. But towards the end, it just made me more upset to realize how much enjoyment they were getting out of it. It was an endless cycle of anger.
A bad experience blurred the lines too much and made me stop. I wasn’t being as careful as I should have and that was a big learning moment for me. It culminated to a point in my life where I wanted to start working through my issues with connection and focus on other opportunities.
JB: Addiction is a recurring theme in your work. As someone who has been sober for nine years, what advice do you wish you’d had at the beginning of your sobriety journey?
GAB: Everyone has their vice, it can be hard to cope with being a person. I do wish I was present for a lot more things. You can’t go back in time though, everything you go through is necessary to get to the next stage.
Sobriety isn’t one-size-fits-all. Find some type of community that fits you. I’m a weird case because I still love going out; I love dancing, but I didn’t for a long time because I couldn’t navigate it. It was hard for me to maintain certain friendships that existed around that lifestyle, it was important to have an outlet from that. I have a group that I meet with once a week that understands me in this way.
Some people can go cold turkey but all-or-nothing doesn’t work for everyone, I tapered off gradually. I’m still a heavy smoker, but it works for me. I feel in control of it. I used to be a very destructive person and I am not that anymore. Sobriety will always be an ever-evolving journey, even nine years out, there are still challenges I face. Addiction isn’t something you can just “fix”. You can overcome it in a sense but never cure it; you learn how to manage it. Once you get over the mindset of “I’m going to cure this forever”, it becomes more sustainable.
JB: What would you tell your younger self now, after all these experiences?
GAB: I’d tell her to be patient, things will work out. I wouldn’t change anything; I learned a lot of resourcefulness and trust in myself. It will always work out, the money will come. Keep going.
JB: What gets you in the mood?
GAB: Eye contact on the train, edibles.